The old nails and the sentry overlooking the Shrine
One of the highlights of the visit I have had at the Fort Santiago, is the unassuming yet important landmark in modern-day Philippines in terms of religion and the faith. Enter to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Heavenly Patroness of the Philippine Islands as proclaimed by Pope Pius XI on the 16th of July 1935. Honestly, I would never have seen this shrine if I have not been slowing down in my walk-about around the Walled City of Manila. Intramuros is such a wondrous place to appreciate history, architecture, culture, and of course, religion in the Philippines.
The Philippines, being the predominantly Catholic nation and the first in Asia is deeply religious and such is courtesy of the coming of the Spanish expedition bringing friars, faithful and the relics of saints. The one that has been ensconced at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the replica of the Blessed Virgin Mary, brought from Mexico by Friar Urdaneta aboard the famous Legazpi expedition. Read more
