San Pedro Macati Church
The Saints Peter and Paul Parish Church stand as one of the few remaining vestiges of Makati City’s Spanish colonial past. The parish began as one of two churches (the other being the current Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church) established by missionaries in the early 1600s. The churches served as stopovers for pilgrims en route to Antipolo to visit the Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen VIaje, or Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. The town’s name supposedly owes to the term “kumakati”, or the “ebbing” tide of the river, though such etymology has no historical basis. Regardless, the church of Saints Peter and Paul came to be known and is still referred to as the San Pedro Macati Church. It is also from the old name of Makati that the church and the Poblacion (old town center) earned their nickname Sampiro.
The San Pedro Macati Church was built by the Jesuits in 1620 on a site called Buenavista, which was elevated terrain near the banks of the Pasig River. The Jesuits, who managed the church until their expulsion from the Philippines in 1768, were also responsible for the development of the Hacienda de San Pedro Macati which was eventually sold to Don Jose Bonifacio Roxas in 1851.
Makati today is characterized by modern developments, commercial centers, and business districts that emphasize corporate work culture and fast-paced living in the concrete jungles of the city. However, amidst the glistening walls of glass-clad buildings still stand edifices such as the San Pedro Macati Church – reminders of the city’s humble beginnings as a small town along the banks of the Pasig River.
Sources/Read more:
Alcazaren, P. (2020 Mar 19). Makati: Weaving modernity with distinct history. Property Report PH.
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