Museo de Intramuros rises from war ruins inside walled city, opens May 2

The Intramuros Administration on April 29 unveiled Museo de Intramuros, formerly the San Ignacio Church on Calle Arzobispo, set to open to the public on May 2.

The Neoclassical San Ignacio Church inside the Walled City of Manila did not survive the Battle of Manila in 1945, turning into ruins after the war.

Intramuros Administration, which reopened all its churches to pilgrims during Holy Week, decided to reconstruct the building starting 2011, now rising from the ruins as a museum.

Dedicated to the stories of Filipinos inside the former Spanish fortress, Museo de Intramuros houses more than 500 religious icons and artifacts found and collected by cultural organizations in the old churches inside the walled city and all over the Philippines.

There are three permanent galleries inside the museum:
1. The Establishment of a Parish and Sacred Vessels
2. Religious Colonial Paintings
3. The Indio Response

The museum also showcases various collection:
1. The Immaculate Conception (located in the auditorium)
2. The Religious Order (located in the courtyard)
3. The Patronato Real and the Establishment of Parishes (located at the library)

Dr. Esperanza B. Gatbonton, one of the museum’s curatorial consultants, explained that Museo de Intramuros may be featuring Christian arts and icons from Spanish churches all made by Filipinos.

View this post on Instagram

It's a rare and wonderful thing, to see a new (non-National Museum) national museum born, based on the best government collection of art and artifacts of its kind, a solid mandate towards the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage, and a committed leadership and organization – especially after years and years of effort – all dedicated to the public benefit and the further development of Intramuros as arguably the foremost monument in the country. As close colleagues and partners in many areas, we are very proud of this new counterpart institution established by the Intramuros Administration, and are confident that it will realize its full potential among Filipinos and foreign visitors. Congratulations to the Intramuros Administration, the Department of Tourism, and everyone who worked to achieve this long-planned project – and who continue to work to perfect it! We urge all interested members of the public to visit the new Museo de Intramuros, starting May 2, 2019. Please check the Intramuros Administration website and social media pages for more details. #Weareintramuros #NationalMuseumPH

A post shared by National Museum PH (@natmuseumph) on Apr 29, 2019 at 7:14pm PDT

“We were not merely passive spectators in our country’s colonial past. We were there. We responded. We participated,” Dr. Gatbonton said.

Starting on May 2, Museo de Intramuros will be open to public and admission
is free.

Tell us your Museo de Intramuros experience in the comments below!

If you have a Filipino Pride story to share or you want us to cover, tag us on social media with #GoodNewsPilipinas

Like, Follow, Subscribe to GoodNewsPilipinas.com Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Good News Pilipinas! TV on YouTube, new story notifications and e-mail newsletters for updates on more Filipino Pride stories.