The SANTUARIO DE SAN ANTONIO

The first place we visited is this little church down the road called Santuario de San Antonio. It means “sanctuary of Saint Anthony” in Spanish. Morgan and I came with our hosts because they say this church means a lot to them. Since Morgan and I are Christians, we happily obliged [while Pisanu and Akihiro are drowning themselves at the pool].

This quiet and lovely little church is where our hosts and their family got married, christened their children and served as a faith symbol to them. They say this church kept them together and I really felt their affection to this place.

Santuario de San Antonio was built by priests of the Franciscan Order after World War II when their mother church in Intramuros [which we will visit later in the day] was destroyed by air raid bombs. On the center of the main altar is an image of Saint Anthony carrying a baby. We were told that this image is hundreds of years old and actually the only surviving artifact of the original church.

This church may not be as historically relevant as other baroque churches of the Philippines but one thing is special about this place: This is where Manila’s richest families come to gather and worship. [Am I allowed to say that? Hahaha!] Santuario de San Antonio is at McKinley Road, Makati City.

So not to cause any awkward situation, I never told our hosts that I have actually been here many times before.

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