For my Holy Week Visita Iglesia this year, I decided to join Manilakad’s tour. I knew I could have done it on my own, as I’ve done in the past, especially since it wasn’t my first time visiting most of the churches. But knowing Manilakad’s Jing Ordona, whose tours I’ve joined several times before, I was sure this one would be more special and that I’d walk away learning something new.

True enough, I was right to sign up. I learned things I wouldn’t have caught on my own. Like how Saint Ezequiél Moreno y Díaz, the patron saint of cancer patients, once served as the parish priest of Santa Cruz Church. I also had one of those quiet “oh” moments. All along, I thought San Beda was just another name for Saint Benedict. I had no idea they were different saints. I also walked away with a new life goal. I want to be part of the Order of Malta. It’s a Catholic lay group. It doesn’t own land but is still recognized as a sovereign group.

The Visita Iglesia is a Filipino Catholic tradition during Holy Week. Devotees visit at least seven churches and pray the Stations of the Cross.

Our first stop was Binondo Church, also known as the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint. Lorenzo Ruiz trained here before becoming a missionary in Japan, where he was later martyred. The church is also called Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish. It was founded by Dominican priests in 1596 to serve Chinese converts to Christianity.

After Binondo, we walked through Ongpin Street. Jing brought us to a small church tucked behind Binondo Church. It’s called Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish. It’s not big or famous, and I didn’t even know it was there. I actually thought we were on our way to Santo Cristo de Longos. We visited that too not long after.

Then we went to Santa Cruz Church. Its full name is the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar. It is also called the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament. Pope Francis granted the image a canonical coronation in 2017. In 2018, Cardinal Tagle made it an archdiocesan shrine. Just recently, it became a Minor Basilica.

One thing I enjoy about Jing’s tours is how he adds little historical tidbits along the way. Like when he pointed out a marker beside Santa Cruz Church that marks the return of Manila to Spain after the British surrendered in 1764.

After Santa Cruz, we went to Quiapo Church, or the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno. It is the home of the Black Nazarene. Many believe, including me, that the image is miraculous.

The church was full of people that day, as always. You could feel the devotion in every corner. I was glad I stayed in Metro Manila this Holy Week. Watching the steady stream of pilgrims reminded me how deep and alive the faith still is in the city.

We took a lunch break at Wakilah Eatery, which has become quite popular lately. The cook was on break, so there was no roti that day. I settled for mee goreng, a glass of soft drinks, cold teh tarik, and a bottle of water. That’s how hot and parched I felt.

Next, we visited the Holy Face Shrine. My mom used to bring us there when we were kids. The shrine is run by the Sisters of the Holy Face of Jesus. 

Right in front of it is the headquarters of the Order of Malta. This was when I made that new life goal.

Jing said I needed to be filthy rich to join. By that point in the tour, we had already reached our fifth stop and had been walking for three hours. I was already filthy. Now I just need to figure out how to be rich.

The next stop was San Sebastian Basilica, just a few steps down from the Holy Face Shrine. It is also known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It’s the only steel church in the country. It was declared a National Historical Landmark in 1973 and became a National Cultural Treasure in 2011.

Jing said the steel came from the same foundry as the Eiffel Tower. He also clarified that Gustav Eiffel didn’t build the church, even if many people think so. Still, San Sebastian is one of the most beautiful churches I’ve seen. Its design and details can match some of the grand churches in Europe.

By that time, the heat was too much. We took a tricycle to the Twin Churches of Sampaloc. These are the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Loreto and the Shrine of Saint Anthony of Padua. I remember visiting them as a child. Many people like going here for Visita Iglesia because the churches are side by side.

Binondo, Santa Cruz, Quiapo, San Sebastian, and Loreto are Jubilee 2025 Pilgrim Churches. I brought my Luce figure with me and enjoyed photographing Luce in front of these churches. Luce is the official mascot of the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee. It means “light” in Italian. I also completed the mascot set in Binondo. Fe, Xin, and Sky were all with me. Sadly, Xin lost her walking stick in San Sebastian.

I was supposed to end my Visita Iglesia at the Twin Churches because I had another tour at 4 PM. But when I heard that San Beda was the next stop, I decided to go. I studied in St. Scholastica’s College, so Saint Benedict is also a patron saint. And I never leave home without my St. Benedict Medal. That was when I learned that San Beda and Saint Benedict are not the same.

San Beda Church is also called the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat. It is the main church of the Benedictine monks in the Philippines and was founded by Spanish monks in 1895. This is another lovely church.

That was the final stop for me. I said goodbye to Jing here and headed on to my next tour.

The Poblacion we see today is bold, loud, and full of life, but that’s just one layer of its identity. This Makati district is also a place of heritage and faith. Beneath all the nightlife is a cultural district with deep roots and quiet traditions.

Once a year, during Holy Week, the noise gives way to the Kalbaryo, a tradition that began in the early 20th century.

I joined WanderManila’s third edition of the Sampiro Kalbaryo Tour, a special walk that only happens on Maundy Thursday. We visited Kalbaryos, also called kubols or street chapels, located throughout Poblacion. 

Alpha Sports

Pars Club

Mural showing Poblacion’s deep faith

These chapels are built specifically for the pabasa or pasyon, the continuous chanting of Christ’s passion during Holy Week. 

Benjamin Canapi, WanderManila’s lead guide, walked us through about 30 of the 50 Kalbaryos.

Map grabbed from Makati Kultura

The tradition takes its name from Sampiro, a nickname dating back to 1620, when the Jesuits built San Pedro Church as the center of Catholic faith in the area. Over time, residents began using Sampiro not just for the church, but for the entire town.

Kalbaryo comes from Calvary, the hill where Jesus was crucified. In Filipino, the word has also come to mean hardship or great suffering. In Poblacion, it is both symbolic and literal. The neighborhood slopes uphill, and walking from one kubol to another in the summer heat can feel like a small kalbaryo in itself.

The first Kalbaryo, from the Samahang Ilaya, was set up in the early 1900s by a family who placed a simple grotto outside their home for the pabasa. It drew such a following that other households followed, and created their own street chapels. 

Ilaya

Over time, the Kalbaryos grew in number, artistry, and devotion. It is considered an honor to be granted permission to build one. Remarkably, every group that has ever built a Kalbaryo continues to do so. No one has backed out. The tradition has only been paused during World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic.

You will know how important they are when you realize that some Kalbaryos block entire streets, a rare sight in busy Makati. Police are even deployed to help with traffic and ensure safety. Some chapels are built as early as two weeks before Holy Week.

Unlike the traditional 14 Stations of the Cross, the Kalbaryos do not follow a fixed sequence. The saints and images depend on what the families or groups have. You will find depictions like Santisimo Cristo del Mayor Dolor, Jesus Before Annas, and Jesus Before Caiaphas.

Santisimo Cristo del Mayor Dolor

The Kalbaryos also display QR codes where visitors can scan to learn more about the history and the devotion behind each one.

We passed by some of the oldest Kalbaryos still standing, including those by Makati Sporting, Happy XII, Likod Simbahan, Makati V8, and Poultry. 

Makati Sporting

Happy XII

Samahang Likod ng Simbahan

Makati V8 Poultry

This year, Happy XII marks its centennial this year. Makati V8 is believed to have the oldest entiero in Poblacion.

It is almost surreal walking through Poblacion and imagining it as the quiet riverside town it once was.

Back then, a hermana mayor would traditionally lead each Kalbaryo. But as the costs grew, communities formed hermandads, brotherhoods dedicated to continuing the devotion. Today, you will often see the names of donors beside each kubol, a reflection of how tightly knit these communities still are.

Many of the groups behind the Kalbaryos have proudly Filipino names, often playful or tied to local history. There is Samahang Bla-gag, from the sound of someone falling off a chair. D' SAINT stands for Samahang Ilalim ng Tulay. Samahang Hi-lander represents those who live on higher ground. Some names are portmanteaus that reflect Makati’s past, like BoMaRiz (Bonifacio, Makati, Rizal) and SantiMaRiz (Santiago, Makati, Rizal), reminders that Makati was once part of Rizal Province. Poultry got its name from the farm that once stood there. Simba Likod and Likod Simbahan may sound like the same group, but they are actually two different Kalbaryos. Both are found behind the church, although they should not be confused with each other.

Bla-gag

D' SAINT

BOMARIZ

Simba Likod

The BoMaRiz group sets up their Kalbaryo inside one of the few remaining Bahay na Bato from the American era in Poblacion.

Some Kalbaryos have become permanent structures, like those of Happy 12, Makati Sporting, Poultry, Makati V8, Samahang Likod ng Simbahan, and SBS. 

Others are still lovingly built from scratch each year. Groups like Insiders and Kayumanggi are known to go all out.

Insiders

Kayumanggi

We also passed Kalbaryos from SPB, Tanglaw ng Kabataan, SBS, Daong Maria, Holy Cross, Alpha Spirits, Kalbaryo ng Tricycle at Mamamayan, Gabay ng Kabataan, Lumang Municipio, Holy Face, Guardians, Bagong Pag-asa, SBK, All Captain, and SMB groups.

SPB Tanglaw ng Kabataan

SBS

Lumang Municipio

Gabay ng Kabataan

Holy Face

Guardian's

Samahang Bagong Pag-asa All Captain SBK

SMB

At the heart of it all is Sampiro Church, also known as Saints Peter and Paul Parish or San Pedro Macati Church. Built in 1620 on top of the hill once called Buenavista, it is home to one of the oldest church bells in the country and the revered image of the Virgen de la Rosa de Makati, which is said to contain a relic of the Virgin Mother. In 2023, the National Museum of the Philippines declared the church an Important Cultural Property.

The Holy Week devotion in Poblacion culminates on Good Friday, when a solemn procession passes through all 50 Kalbaryos, with religious images carried through the streets.