Learn about the history of Guadalupe Church, regarded as one of the most magnificent-looking churches in Metro Manila.
Guadalupe Church is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Metro
Manila. It stands grand and its interiors are breathtaking,
Understandably so Guadalupe Church is one of the most sought-after churches
around the city for weddings.
Heritage Series: Nuestra Señora de Gracia (Guadalupe Church)
Finding Guadalupe Church
Guadalupe Church is hard to spot because it lies concealed in an
inconspicuous segment of EDSA. Unless you are specifically looking for
Guadalupe Church, chances are, you might not even have an idea that it's
there because it's surrounded by shanties and obscured by giant
billboards.
Anyway, Guadalupe Church is one of the churches that we considered when
Khris and I were planning for our wedding. However, it was already booked on
our preferred date so it didn't push through.
To go to Guadalupe Church, if you are coming from Quezon City, a quick right
turn in a narrow road right after Guadalupe Bridge will bring you to this
hidden gem.
History of Guadalupe Church
Perched atop a hill, Guadalupe Church was built by the Augustinian
friars, presided by Fray Juan de Montes de Oca, in the early 1600s and was
completed after almost three decades of construction and a succession of
friar administrators.
In the early 1600s, Our Lady of Guadalupe was designated as the
patroness of the community, in honor of the Virgin Mother who was
venerated in Spain. Decades later, devotion to Our Lady of
Guadalupe spread via the Manila-Acapulco trade. Devotees came all the way
from Spain and Mexico to pay their respects to the Virgin Mary.
Also known as Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church, Guadalupe Church is a
Baroque Roman Catholic church. Viewed from its front, it looks like a
massive stone fortress with thick stone walls.
The church is a mélange of different architectural styles. The façade is
Neo-Romanesque-Gothic with Doric columns holding the cornice and pediment.
Throughout the exterior, there are also touches of Baroque and
arabesque designs.
Large side entrances allow a natural breeze to flow through the interiors of
the church. Despite the large doorways, the interiors of the church seem
impenetrable to sound, providing a respite from the noise and hustle of
EDSA. It was a sanctuary. In fact, the property used to be a retreat house
for the Manila clergy in the olden days.
The Guadalupe Church also once served as a school, and an orphanage to give
shelter to orphans of the victims of cholera that ravaged Manila in the late
1800s. It survived the Japanese Occupation, the Philippine-American War, and
several earthquakes.
Nowadays, the church, renowned for its splendor, is one of the most
sought-after wedding venues in Metro Manila.
The tale of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The tale of Our Lady of Guadalupe began on December 19, 1531, when the
Virgin Mary appeared before an elderly Mexican peasant named Juan Diego
while on his way to church. The apparition happened at Tepeyac Hill where
there once stood an Aztec Temple.
The Virgin instructed Juan to ask the bishop to build a church on the site
where she appeared so that she may be visited by Mexicans who had petitions
or who wanted to be healed.
Juan approached the Bishop who, as expected, was in disbelief of his story. The Bishop dismissed Juan but he returned for the second time upon instructions of the Virgin. On the second meeting, the Bishop asked for a sign to test if Juan was indeed selling the truth.
Unfortunately, Juan was unable to return to the Bishop for 3 days because
his uncle became seriously sick. When his uncle’s health took a turn out for
the worse, Juan decided that it was time to get a priest.
On his way to the church, the Virgin appeared to Juan once again and told
him to pick the flowers on top of Tepeyac Hill, the sign that the bishop
asked for. He is to hide the flowers in his tilma, an outer garment worn by
men until he arrived at the bishop. He did everything as instructed.
When Juan opened his tilma, the roses fell to the floor. However, both men
were astounded the see the image of the Virgin Mother imprinted on the
tilma. In the image, she appeared as a native princess with her head bowed
and hands folded in prayer to God.
Under her feet, is a great crescent moon, a symbol of the old Aztec
religion, a message that is more powerful than the Aztec gods, yet she
herself is not God.
As an epilogue, a church was built in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Juan Diego's tilma, with a shelf-life of only around 30 years, remained
miraculously preserved.
On October 12, 1945, Pope Pius XII, decreed Our Lady of Guadalupe to be
"Patroness of all the Americas." Her feast day is December 12, and it is a
Holy Day of Obligation in Mexico.
Epilogue
Whenever I pass by Guadalupe bridge, I can't help but think about Guadalupe
Church. I've only been here once but I found it hard to forget. Probably
because I associate it with a happy memory which was the time when we were
planning for our wedding.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading about the history of Guadalupe Church as
well as Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Have you even been to Guadalupe Church? If not, then you have to visit it to
see its beauty for yourself.
Similar stories
If you love to read about churches, you might be interested in the following
stories, too.
- Heritage Series: the all-steel San Sebastian Church
- Heritage Series: Poblacion, the Old District of Makati
- Heritage Series: Our Lady of Manaoag Church, Pangasinan
- Heritage Series: Churches in Nueva Ecija
- Heritage Series: Visita Iglesia in Arayat, Pampanga
- Heritage Series: Visita Iglesia in Sta. Ana Church, Pampanga
- Missions Accomplished in San Antonio, Texas
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good to see that there are still buildings like this that will remind us of the past. with the modernization of almost everything, nice to have the beauty of the past
ReplyDeleteI already read this blog. Isa sa itinuturing na pinakamagandang simbahan sa Metro Manila ang Guadalupe Church mahirap di itong hanapin dahil nakatago ito sa hndi kapansin pansin na segment ng EDSA.
ReplyDeleteI already read this blog. Isa sa itinuturing na pinakamagandang simbahan sa Metro Manila ang Guadalupe Church mahirap di itong hanapin dahil nakatago ito sa hndi kapansin pansin na segment ng EDSA.
ReplyDeleteI already read this blog. Isa sa itinuturing na pinakamagandang simbahan sa Metro Manila ang Guadalupe Church mahirap di itong hanapin dahil nakatago ito sa hndi kapansin pansin na segment ng EDSA.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing dadi iv ng history ng Guadalupe Church grabe ang tagal niya na din po kaka amazed kahit luma na siya tingnan matibay pa din. Iba pa din talaga pag alam mo yung history ng mga old church dito sa atin.
ReplyDeleteWow dbest po talaga to. Guadalupe Church is one of the Historical Church in the Philippines, sobrang Tagal nia nang nakatayo pero Hanggang Ngayon patuloy na Makikita yung Tibay ng pagkakagawa at marami paring nagpupunta dahil sa npaka Gandang History Nito ❤❤
ReplyDelete