As my family and I were walking the cobbled stone path in Intramuros to visit San Agustin and the Manila Cathedral for our 13th and 14th Stations of the Cross, I chanced upon this signage that bore the words "Plazuela de Santa Isabel. Memorare Manila 1945." Could it be? Is it really the place where Colegio de Sta. Isabel once stood in Intramuros? So I took a shot for posterity amidst the darkness of night. I, being a third generation Isabelan (mom studied there for a short while in gradeschool, Taft campus; and my grandma studied in the Intramuros campus) became very interested in this discovery.
After the church visits, on my way back to the parking lot (a good 300 meters of walk), I saw a bigger sign at the corner of General Luna and Anda Streets that confirmed the spot as part of the old campus of Sta. Isabel College. It turns out that the plaza was "made a part of Sta. Isabel College which lacked an open space characteristic of Spanish buildings. Empty lot called Sampalucan joined Calle Anda joined to enlarge plazuela in the 18th century."
Of course because of the war, the place was destroyed and Sta. Isabel College transfered to where it is now, along Taft Avenue in Manila, facing Luneta Park. The plazuela was then restored in 1983 and a "monument dedicated to the non-combatant victims of the last war was erected in 1995 by Memorare Manila 1945."
Since my visit to Intramuros took place past midnight, I did not have time to scout for the marker of the actual spot of the campus. Am sure it was just around the corner but the place was too dark already to capture good photographs. Will return here soon and continue this blast from the past with a part 2.
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