We know that Remedios Circle in Malate used to be a cemetery, so if anything was going to be unearthed around that area, we’d think they would be bones.
Turns out Malate has something more exotic and valuable. When contractors were digging around Malate Catholic Church to lay down water pipes, they saw things that would give archaeologists a wet dream.
“The resulting collection, including fragments of Chinese Ching-Pai porcelain developed in the 10th century and ceramics bearing the mark of late 1800s British manufacturers,” reports Erika Sauler in Philippine Daily Inquirer,” earned the church area the unexpected distinction of being the first archaeological site ever found in that district.”
According to former newscaster Eliza Romualdez-Valtos, who now leads Heritage Consultancy Group, they conducted “rescue archaeology” and were given a T1 site code, “meaning this is the first archaeological site in Malate.”
Malate Catholic Church, known to its parishioners as Our Lady of Remedies, has been undergoing a five-year renovation restoration project which involves replacing the cement facade with original lime walls, a more porous substance used in many old structures.
The church was originally established by Augustinian friars in the 15th century but the structure itself has been rebuilt several times; the latest was in 1934.
Photo: Bloodpack (Wikipedia)
