Philippine history captured at 2 Manila museums

Museo de Intramuros

Museo de Intramuros contains records detailing the country’s ecclesiastical heritage. The museum pieces explore the Philippines’ process of evangelization. The exhibit showcases how art during that period developed alongside the growing influence of Catholicism.

Museo de Intramuros is composed of the San Ignacio Church and the Mission House of the Society of Jesus. The church was built in 1889 but was destroyed in the Second World War. After years of restoration efforts, the complex was finally opened in 2019 to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of the Intramuros Administration.

Casa Manila Museum

The Casa Manila Museum, also known as the “Manila House” showcases the lifestyle of a prosperous family from the Spanish colonial period. A living museum, Casa Manila displays artifacts without barriers or protection to simulate the era as accurately as possible. According to the Intramuros Administration, the structure’s facade “was patterned after a house that once stood at Jaboneros Street in the Chinese district of Binondo in the 1850’s.”