Fittingly for a church serving a huge number of people right in downtown Manila, it is quite large, and thus it is a popular place for weddings. Over the years, the interiors of the church has undergone tremendous changes from the simple renovation of the posts where it was given a marble looking skin. The altar area itself was also given a make over and for me is one of the more impressive ones I’ve seen in the Philippines. There is a facade of a church with the statue of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary enshrined.
Naturally, since this is church is also now in honor of the first Philippine saint, Lorenzo Ruiz, a statue of him is also here. The story of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz is quite remarkable. He was born and raised in Binondo and actually served in this parish. He was born of a Chinese father and a Filipino mother. He eventually rose through the ranks in his service of the church but was accused of murder. Fearing for his life, he sought refuge on a ship with Dominican fathers and soon set sail for Japan.
On arrival in Japan, they were arrested on account of their faith and were being forced to renounced it. Being the strong Catholic that he is, Lorenzo Ruiz and his companions did not renounce their faith despite that torture being imposed on them. On September 29, 1637, he and his companions were martyred in Japan defending the Christian faith. Several centuries later in 1981, Pope John Paul the II beatified Lorenzo Ruiz. On 1987, he was canonized as the first Filipino saint.
Probably, what may be the most eyecatching feature of Binondo Church is the ceiling which features massive paintings of each mystery of the Holy Rosary. After all, this church is also dedicated to Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary. Well, the paintings are far from a Michelangelo, in fact, they look more like good movie posters. But I still think that they are good additions to an already impressive church. However, just a few years into the installation of the new paintings, water damage is already showing through some of the paintings. I think the church must to more to actively maintain these works of art if we want them to last another 400 years.
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PLEASE EDUCATE YOUR OFFICE STAFF IN COMMUNICATING YOUR CLIENT…….FAULT NILA ANG MALING PAGKOPYA SA RECORDS NG MGA NA-BAPTIZED NA BATA PERO PARANG IKAW PA ANG SINISISI. THEY WROTE A MIS-SPELLED NAME, ANG SASABIHIN LANG SAYO “MARAMI NG GANYAN ANG REKLAMO PERO DI SILA YUN, KUNDI YUNG MGA NAUNANG STAFF” TAPOS SABAY TALIKOD! WHAT A DAMN EMLOYEE YOU HIRED?
I WISH THAT THE BIG GIRL AND A SMALL GIRL WEARING AN EYE GLASSES WILL REPLACE A BETTER AND MORE APROACHING STAFF. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!