Fort Santiago, Santa Clara (on the NW end of Plaza Moriones), +632-5271572, [3]. 8AM-6PM daily. The former military headquarters of the Spanish colonial government.

Although the fort sustained very heavy damage during the 1945 Battle of Manila, several

key portions of the compound were subsequently restored - including its iconic gate with

a wooden relief featuring Santiago Matamoros (St. James the Moor-slayer), the patron

saint of Spain. It is now considered a major landmark and one of Manila's most popular

tourist attractions, partly because Jos Rizal - the national hero of the Philippines - was

imprisoned here prior to his execution on 30 Dec 1896. The Rizal Shrine (see Museums,

below), a small museum dedicated to his life and work, is housed in a restored section of

one of the fort's former barracks. 75, 50 students/children. edit

Postigo del Palacio, Santa Lucia (a short distance from the back of the Palacio del

Gobernador). Built in 1662, renovated 1782-83. On 30 Dec 1896, national hero Jos

Rizal was taken through this gate en route to the place of his execution, in what is known

today as Rizal Park (see related entry on the district sub-page for Ermita). edit

Puerta de Santa Lucia

Baluartillo de San Jose and Reducto de San Pedro

Baluarte de San Diego, Santa Lucia cor. Muralla, [4]. Dating from the 17th century, this

formidable bastion surrounds the remains of the round fort of Nuestra Seora de Guia,

the first stone fort built in Manila. Severely damaged during the Second World War, the

Baluarte de San Diego was restored in the 1980s and is now a major tourist

attraction. edit

Puerta Real and Revellin de Real del Bagumbayan

Baluarte de San Andres

Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao

Puerta del Parian and Revellin del Parian

Baluarte de San Gabriel

Puerta de Isabel II, Magallanes Drive (near Colegio de San Juan de Letrn). Built in

1861, this was the last gate to be opened in Intramuros' walls under Spanish rule. A fine

statue of Queen Isabel II of Spain stands in front of the gate. edit

Main gate of Fort Santiago

Churches

Manila Cathedral (interior)

Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral), Cabildo cor. Beaterio

(in front of Plaza de Roma), +632-5271796 / +632-5273093 / +632-5273889 / +632-5283876 (mlacathedral@yahoo.com, fax: +632-5360192), [8]. Destroyed and rebuilt

several times over, the Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of

Manila and one of the most important churches in the Philippines. The current Neo-

Romanesque iteration (consecrated in 1958) is the eighth - or sixth, depending on who's

counting - to stand on the site since 1581, succeeding the 19th-century structure that was

levelled to the ground during the 1945 Battle of Manila. A small exhibit detailing the

Cathedral's history can be found in one of the side chapels near the entrance. Masses are

offered daily; refer to the official website for a full schedule of liturgical services. Free,

but donations are appreciated. On February 2012, church authorities announced the

temporary closure of the Cathedral (effective 7th February) in order to make way for

urgent structural repairs. It was reopened to the public on April 2014 after undergoing

extensive architectural restoration and rehabilitation. The reopened Cathedral also

features an enhanced sound, video, and lighting system. edit

San Agustn Church (interior)

San Agustn Church, General Luna (Calle Real del Palacio) cor. Real, (museum numbers) +632-5274060 / +632-5274061, [9]. A true Spanish Baroque treasure, with

magnificent trompe-l'il ceilings and a splendid high altar. Consecrated in 1607, this ancient building managed to survive the Second World War (although it, too, sustained

heavy damage) and is said to be the oldest stone church currently standing in the

Philippines. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993 as part of the

group "Baroque Churches of the Philippines". Miguel Lpez de Legazpi (1502-1572), the

first Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines, is buried in a tomb near the high altar;

other funerary monuments can be found along the walls or set into the floor. Much of San

Agustn's neighbouring monastery was damaged during the war and was subsequently

refashioned into exhibition space for the San Agustn Museum (see Museums, below).

The church is a very popular venue for weddings; don't be surprised if you encounter a

ceremony in progress during your visit. Church itself is free, but visiting the adjacent

museum requires a paid ticket. edit

Museums

Bahay Tsinoy, 32 Anda cor. Cabildo, +632-5276083 / +632-5266796 (info@bahaytsinoy.org, fax: +632-5276085), [10]. Tu-Su 1PM-5PM. A museum

dedicated to the history and contributions of the Chinese-Filipino community. 100, 60 students/children. edit

Casa Manila (courtyard)

Casa Manila, General Luna (Calle Real del Palacio) cor. Real (across the street from San

Agustn Church), +632-5274084, [11]. Tu-Su 9AM-6PM. A recreation of a typical upper-class colonial Intramuros home. The interiors are filled with antique furniture,

artwork, and other artifacts from the Spanish era, all carefully arranged to illustrate what

life was like for wealthy families of that period. 75, 50 students/children. edit

Light and Sound Museum, Santa Lucia cor. Victoria, +632-5242827, [12]. Using images, sounds, and animatronics, the museum takes visitors on a journey through

Philippine history under Spanish rule. The facility is housed in a building whose facade

reproduces the appearance of the old motherhouse of the Beaterio de la Compaa de

Jess, which stood on the site until its destruction during the Second World War. 100 per person for groups of 10 or more; smaller groups are reportedly charged a higher per-

person rate (contact the museum to confirm arrangements). edit

Rizal Shrine, Fort Santiago, [13]. Tu-Su 8AM-5PM. Located within the walls of Fort

Santiago (see above), this small museum contains exhibits related to the life and work of

Jos Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. edit

San Agustn Museum, General Luna (Calle Real del Palacio) cor. Real (right next to San

Agustn Church), +632-5274060 / +632-5274061. 8AM-noon, 1PM-6PM daily. Adjacent to the San Agustn Church (see Churches, above), this museum's very

impressive - if rather poorly labelled - collection includes Spanish colonial-era

ecclesiastical vestments, sacred vessels, religious art, manuscripts, and other important

cultural artifacts. The building itself is steeped in history, fashioned out of the surviving

portions of a monastery that was heavily damaged during the Second World War. 100, 50 college students, 45 high-school students, 40 elementary school students. edit

Ruins

The ruins of the Intendencia

Intendencia (Aduana), Andres Soriano (Aduana) cor. Muralla (not far from the

riverbank), [14]. Built in the 1820s and reconstructed after the 1863 earthquake, this

building once housed the Spanish colonial government's customs offices and other

administrative units. It was damaged during the war but survived to re-enter government

service - at one point housing the Central Bank of the Philippines - only to fall victim to a

1979 fire that caused massive destruction. There are plans to restore the building (whose

exterior walls have survived more or less intact) for the use of the National

Archives. edit

San Ignacio Church, Arzobispo cor. Anda, [15]. Built by the Jesuits and consecrated in

1889, the church's magnificent interiors were completely destroyed in 1945. There are

plans to restore the ruined building for use as an ecclesiastical museum. edit

Other buildings

ECJ Building, Santa Lucia cor. Real (near Puerta de Santa Lucia), [16]. The external

appearance of this post-war building closely mimics that of the Augustinian Provincial

House, an extension of the nearby San Agustn convent that was built on the site in the

19th century and destroyed by fire in 1932. edit