Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church (Makati City)

Constructed in 1599 by the Augustinian friars, the oldest religious order in the Philippines, this baroque church was originally called Nuestra Senora de Gracia (Our Lady of Grace), in honor of a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary housed inside. The architecture is marked by four Doric columns and leaf carvings above the main entrence. A big bell tower stands at the right side of the church. The sacristy is behind the apse, while a door at the left side of the altar leads out to an old cemetery.

According to the marker placed in 1937 by the Historical Research and Markers Committee (Church and Monastery of Guadalupe):

“The foundations of this church and monastery of the Augustinian Order were laid in 1601 and construction work was finished in 1629. Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe was chosen titular patroness in 1803. After the Chinese uprising of 1839 this sanctuary served as a seat of devotion for the Chinese. The buildings withstood the earthquakes of 1645, 1658, 1754 and 1863. The masonry roof of the church collapsed in the earthquakes of 1880 and the structure was rebuilt in 1882 by Rev. Jose Corujedo, O.S.A. Site of an orphan asylum and trade school administered by the Augustinian Order for the benefit of the children of the victims of the cholera of 1882. Both church and monastery were gutted by fire in February 1898, during the early skirmishes between Americans and Filipinos.”

~oOo~

The Flagellation refers in a Christian context to the Flagellation of Christ, an episode in the Passion of Christ prior to the Jesus' crucifixion. The practice of mortification of the flesh for religious purposes was utilized by some Christians throughout most of Christian history, especially in Catholic monasteries and convents. In the 13th century, a radical group of christians, known as the Flagellants, took this practice to an extreme. The flagellants were later condemned by the Catholic Church in the 14th century. Self-flagellation remains common in the Philippines and Latin America. Some strict monastic orders such as the Carmelites practice mild self-flagellation using an instrument called a "discipline", a cattail whip made of light chains with small spikes or hooks on the end, which is flung over the shoulders repeatedly during private prayer.