Photos

A little bit of history here. The Philippines was a colony of Spain from about the early part of the 1500s till about three hundred fifty years later.

The seat of the Spanish government in the Philippines then was the old walled city of Manila.

Intramuros, the old walled city of Manila built around 1571 during the Spanish colonization, contained 15 churches and six monasteries. Its ancient walls are 3km (1.8mi) long and 6m (20ft) high. Presently, preservation and restoration of the original buildings are ongoing.


At the center of Intramuros is the grand Manila Cathedral, the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Manila. Then there is San Agustin Church, the oldest stone church in Metro Manila and one of the four Philippine Baroque Churches inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Marking its entrance at the northwestern tip is Fort Santiago, one of the oldest fortifications of Intramuros. Built in nearly 150 years through Filipino forced labor, it now houses a lush park with flowering trees, homing pigeons, and rides aboard horse-drawn carriages.

On the foreground is a fortification called "Baluarte de San Diego," and according to manalang.com was designed and built by Jesuit priest Antonio Sedeno from 1586 to 1587. It is one of the oldest stone fortifications in Intramuros. Began as a circular fort called Nuestra Senora de Guia. Renovated in 1593 to join the walls of the city. Fort fell in disrepair and, in 1644, construction began for a new baluarte which was completed between 1653 and 1663. Resembling an ace of spades, it housed a foundry during the 18th century.

The baluarte was breached by British forces with cannon fire in 1762. Restored and strengthened after the British occupation but was damaged during the 1863 earthquake. It was destroyed during the Battler of Manila in 1945. Restoration began in 1979 and completed in 1992.