The Nuestra Señora de Gracia Parish Church also referred to as the Guadalupe Church, is one of three Spanish colonial churches in the City of Makati. Built on the hilly terrain of Guadalupe Viejo, the church is a silent witness to the evolution and development of Makati. Along with the Church of San Pedro Macati, the Guadalupe Church served as a stopover for pilgrims on their way to Antipolo to visit the Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen VIaje.
Guadalupe Church and its monastery trace back to the Guadalupe Monastery of Our Lady of Grace (Conventus Sanctae Mariae de Gratia), the first Ermita or sanctuary in the Philippines. Located on hilly terrain, one had to climb 200 steps to the convent.
In 1601, the convent became a house of the Augustinian Order. Two years later, the titular patron of the convent was changed to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Eventually, the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe led to the construction of a landing dock by the river where the faithful may climb to the church.
It was also visited by the Filipino-Chinese devotees of San Nicolas de Tolentino who was also venerated in the church. Every November, fluvial processions and fortnight-long celebrations were held in the evening.
During the British Invasion of Manila in 1762, British soldiers converted the complex into their military headquarters and ransacked the church and convent.
In 1899, the church and convent were burned during the Philippine-American War. The ruins of the complex were also utilized as a garrison by the Japanese during the Second World War.
After the war, the monastery ruins were demolished. Once the Augustinians regained control of the complex in 1970, the church was rebuilt and a new convent was constructed through donations.
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