Last week, I featured Manila's Landmarks. I realized Manila, besides from being big in area, it has many interesting places to explore, events to experience and to enjoy, rich history to tell. I will be categorizing it according to its municipality , starting with....
Ermita was founded in the late 16th century. The name was taken from the Spanish word for "hermitage", after the fact that on this site was built a hermitage housing an image of theVirgin Mary known as the Nuestra Señora de Guia (Our Lady of Guidance). The hermitage has since evolved into Ermita Church, which has been rebuilt several times since the early 17th century.
Ermita gained renewed prominence during the American colonial period. It became known as the university district, containing the campuses of the University of the Philippines, the Ateneo de Manila, the Assumption College and the St. Paul College for girls. Dormitories for students also flourished in the area. The residential portion of Ermita was populated by American residents, who set up such establishments as the Army and Navy Club, and the University Club.
Ermita also hosts a number of coin shops and antique shops, as well as some artists who remained in the area, such as the novelist and National Artist F. Sionil Jose who maintains a modest bookstore, La Solidaridad, on Padre Faura Street.
Several government institutions are housed in Ermita, includes:
- Philippine Supreme Court
- Manila City Hall
- Philippine Postal Office
- Department of Tourism
- National Museum of the Filipino People.
- Rizal Park, location of the monument to the national hero Jose Rizal, is a prominent feature of Ermita.
Other sites of interest in Ermita include the
- National Library of the Philippines
- Quirino Grandstand
- Manila Ocean Park
- Bonifacio's Wall
- Metropolitan Theater
- The Manila Hotel
- Masonic Temple
- San Vicente de Paul Church
- Philippine General Hospital, the country's largest hospital.
A number of educational institutions are also found in Ermita, including the
- University of the Philippines - Manila campus
- Adamson University
- Santa Isabel College
- Philippine Normal University
- Technological University of the Philippines
- Universidad de Manila (formerly the City College of Manila)
- Manila Science High School, It is also the pilot science high school in the Philippines.
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