Description of the attraction
The Santa Cruz area is located on the right bank of the Pasig River in northern Manila. Before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors to the Philippine Islands, the territory of the current urban area was occupied by swamps, meadows and some rice fields. The Spanish expedition of 1581 declared these lands the property of the crown and transferred them into the possession of the Jesuit Order. In 1619, the Jesuits built the first Roman Catholic church here, and in 1643 placed in it the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Pilar, around which a whole cult later developed.
In 1784, on the instructions of the King of Spain, the Hospital of Saint Lazarus was built on the territory of the present district of Santa Cruz, in which patients with leprosy were accommodated. They were looked after by Franciscan monks. Later, a small park was laid out next to the church parish, connecting this territory with the headquarters of the Spanish cavalry. In the same years, a slaughterhouse and a meat market appeared in the area, and a Chinese cemetery in the northern part.
During World War II, Japanese occupation forces, caught by surprise by American and Filipino soldiers approaching from the north, fled. The entire Santa Cruz area and northern Manila remained largely untouched, happily escaping the shelling that greatly affected the rest of the city. Therefore, today in Santa Cruz you can see a number of buildings that were built even before the start of the Second World War.
For example, on Escolta Street, you can see two stunning houses facing each other: Regina and Perez-Samanillo. The first features a neoclassical façade similar to government buildings in New Delhi. And the Samanillo House is a masterpiece of Filipino Art Deco architecture. It was designed by Juan Luna's son Andrés Luna de San Pedro. In this luxurious structure, you can find a certain hint of the majestic building of the Cambodian temple of Angkor Wat and even Meso-American motives.
The old Church of Santa Cruz rises in Piazza Laxon, and the Carriedo Fountain is nearby. The church was built by the Jesuits in 1768, then it was in the possession of the Dominican order.
When the independence of the Republic of the Philippines was officially proclaimed in July 1946, the office of the Department of Health was located in the former building of St. Lazarus Hospital.
