Visita Iglesia is a Filipino tradition of visiting seven churches either on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday while reciting the 14 Stations of the Cross, two in each church.
It could have originated from the Via Francigena pilgrim route from England, most probably from the Canterbury Cathedral, and ends in the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul in Rome covering a total distance of 1,743 kilometers.
The "Seven Churches Walk" tradition was started in 1553 by St. Philip Neri who is said to be the Third Apostle after Peter and Paul, and was part of the legacy we Filipinos inherited from colonial Spain with the same purpose of reducing punishment for the amount of sins committed (read: indulgence).
We took the trip to Bangkok during the Roman Catholic Holy Week not for the Visita Iglesia but because it is the most convenient time for us to do so.
We just want to walk to Bangkok's Buddhist temples but it turned out that on a Maundy Thursday, we unconsciously did our Visita Iglesia.
[1] Kalawar Church (Holy Rosary Church)
Since it was a Maundy Thursday, I said to the wife that we should start the day by visiting one of Bangkok's oldest Christian churches, so we took a 4.3 kilometer Uber ride to the Kalawar Church which is near our planned itinerary, something I intend on doing for some time now.
Portuguese refugees established the church in 1769 after the Burmese invasion of Ayutthaya, which explains why the church is called "Kalawar" which is Portuguese for "calvario", and the present church is the third to be built (1891-1897) since then.
[2] U Phai Rat Bamrung Temple
We walked the 900 meters distance from Kalawar to our next destination of Wat Traimit and along the way, we passed by the U Phai Rat Bamrung Temple that was built by Vietnamese immigrants and is one of the first Vietnamese Buddhist temples to be established in Thailand.
Visiting the temple is not part of our plan and it must have been providential that we did since it was the piece that made us complete the required visit to seven places of religious worship.
[3] Wat Tramit (Temple of the Golden Buddha)
Wat Traimit is a relatively new temple and it is famous for housing a golden image of the Buddha that weigh 5.5 tons with a current market value of $250 million.
The Golden Buddha was probably made some time between the 13th and 14th centuries and was later plastered with a thick layer of stucco to hide it from the invading Burmese army who sacked the old Thai capital of Ayuthayya in 1767.
It remained in the ruins of the old capital until 1801 when King Rama I ordered all old Buddha images to be brought to Bangkok that was established as the new capital.
The Golden Buddha was accidentally discovered only in 1955 when the stucco broke to reveal the gold inside while the image was being moved to a new location.
BREAKFAST: From Wat Traimit, we walked 1.9 kilometers through Chinatown's Yaowarat Road in search of a highly recommended breakfast place, and we found On Lok Yun after stopping three times to ask for directions.
The joint is an old school coffee shop that has been in business for more than 80 years and offers an all day breakfast plate (eggs, ham, sausages), bread with butter and sugar, soft boiled eggs and cold milk tea which we all ordered.
[4] Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)
1.3 kilometers away from On Lok Yun is Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand's holiest Buddhist temple and home to the 26-inch Emerald Buddha that is carved from a single piece of jade and found in 1434 after a Buddha statue fell to reveal the image inside when lightning struck a temple in Chang Rai.
That is the legend and the more factual theory is it might have been carved in Thailand, India or Sri Lanka in the 14th century.
The temple was built in 1782, simultaneous to the building of the Grand Palace which is the official residence of the Thai monarchy, after the capital was moved to Bangkok from Ayuthayya, where the Emerald Buddha was enshrined in 1875 to mark the start of the reigning Chakri Dynasty.
We were not able to take a photo of the Emerald Buddha since it is not allowed.
[5] Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)
1.1 kilometers away from the Emerald Buddha is Wat Pho, one of Bangkok's oldest temple that has been established at around the 1600s before the capital was moved to the city, the originator of the Thai massage as a traditional form of medicine, considered as Thailand's first public university, and where a 15-meter high and 45 meters long Buddha reclines in a very relaxing posture.
And with this visit comes the bragging rights of experiencing authentic traditional Thai massage where it was invented hundreds of years ago.
LUNCH: We had lunch before crossing the Chao Phraya River into Wat Arun through the ferry service at the old Tha Tian Market (17th century), and we had it at the best place I can find in the area, "The Sixth", small with only 4 tables but worth the endorsement from Trip Advisor and the rest of social media, the Pad Thai cooked in its original recipe, the Tom Yum soup creamy and immensely flavor-packed, and the papaya salad crunchy with just the right blend of sweet and saltiness.
[6] Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn)
A 4 baht/person short ferry ride took us from the Wat Pho area to Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of the Dawn for the "lustrous rainbow-like play of colors caused by differential refraction of light waves that tends to change as the angle of view changes" that is caused by the morning rays of the sun bouncing off the temple surface.
Considered as one of the most beautiful temples in Thailand, it was probably built between 1656 and 1688 and once housed the Emerald Buddha before it was moved to Wat Phra Kaew.
[7] Wat Saket (Temple of the Golden Mount)
A 2.2 kilometer tuktuk ride from the Tha Tian Market took us to our last destination, Wat Saket, which traces its history back to the Ayuthayya Era (1351-1767) although the artificial hill where the temple was erected was built only during the reign of King Rama III (1787-1851) while the actual temple structure was started to be constructed during the reign of King Rama IV (853-1910).
Hence, its moniker as the Temple of the Golden Mount which is actually a man-made hill and from there, we walked the last one kilometer to our hotel, legs hurting in a nice way and drenched in sweet sweat from a day-long happy experience.
That was when we realized we actually did a full Visita Iglesia.
DINNER: That night, I took the wife for dinner at rowdy Khao San Road where the raucousness there is an example of the reason why the Visita Iglesia was invented.
I showed her fried scorpions, sampled coconut ice cream and mango-and-sticky rice, and had a so-so dinner of omelette and grilled red snapper at Green House before hailing a taxi who charged us an atrocious 200 baht for the 2.2 kilometer trip back to hotel.
Judas is still alive on Maundy Thursday.
It could have originated from the Via Francigena pilgrim route from England, most probably from the Canterbury Cathedral, and ends in the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul in Rome covering a total distance of 1,743 kilometers.
The "Seven Churches Walk" tradition was started in 1553 by St. Philip Neri who is said to be the Third Apostle after Peter and Paul, and was part of the legacy we Filipinos inherited from colonial Spain with the same purpose of reducing punishment for the amount of sins committed (read: indulgence).
We took the trip to Bangkok during the Roman Catholic Holy Week not for the Visita Iglesia but because it is the most convenient time for us to do so.
We just want to walk to Bangkok's Buddhist temples but it turned out that on a Maundy Thursday, we unconsciously did our Visita Iglesia.
[1] Kalawar Church (Holy Rosary Church)
Since it was a Maundy Thursday, I said to the wife that we should start the day by visiting one of Bangkok's oldest Christian churches, so we took a 4.3 kilometer Uber ride to the Kalawar Church which is near our planned itinerary, something I intend on doing for some time now.
Portuguese refugees established the church in 1769 after the Burmese invasion of Ayutthaya, which explains why the church is called "Kalawar" which is Portuguese for "calvario", and the present church is the third to be built (1891-1897) since then.
[2] U Phai Rat Bamrung Temple
We walked the 900 meters distance from Kalawar to our next destination of Wat Traimit and along the way, we passed by the U Phai Rat Bamrung Temple that was built by Vietnamese immigrants and is one of the first Vietnamese Buddhist temples to be established in Thailand.
Visiting the temple is not part of our plan and it must have been providential that we did since it was the piece that made us complete the required visit to seven places of religious worship.
[3] Wat Tramit (Temple of the Golden Buddha)
Wat Traimit is a relatively new temple and it is famous for housing a golden image of the Buddha that weigh 5.5 tons with a current market value of $250 million.
The Golden Buddha was probably made some time between the 13th and 14th centuries and was later plastered with a thick layer of stucco to hide it from the invading Burmese army who sacked the old Thai capital of Ayuthayya in 1767.
It remained in the ruins of the old capital until 1801 when King Rama I ordered all old Buddha images to be brought to Bangkok that was established as the new capital.
The Golden Buddha was accidentally discovered only in 1955 when the stucco broke to reveal the gold inside while the image was being moved to a new location.
BREAKFAST: From Wat Traimit, we walked 1.9 kilometers through Chinatown's Yaowarat Road in search of a highly recommended breakfast place, and we found On Lok Yun after stopping three times to ask for directions.
The joint is an old school coffee shop that has been in business for more than 80 years and offers an all day breakfast plate (eggs, ham, sausages), bread with butter and sugar, soft boiled eggs and cold milk tea which we all ordered.
[4] Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)
1.3 kilometers away from On Lok Yun is Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand's holiest Buddhist temple and home to the 26-inch Emerald Buddha that is carved from a single piece of jade and found in 1434 after a Buddha statue fell to reveal the image inside when lightning struck a temple in Chang Rai.
That is the legend and the more factual theory is it might have been carved in Thailand, India or Sri Lanka in the 14th century.
The temple was built in 1782, simultaneous to the building of the Grand Palace which is the official residence of the Thai monarchy, after the capital was moved to Bangkok from Ayuthayya, where the Emerald Buddha was enshrined in 1875 to mark the start of the reigning Chakri Dynasty.
We were not able to take a photo of the Emerald Buddha since it is not allowed.
[5] Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)
1.1 kilometers away from the Emerald Buddha is Wat Pho, one of Bangkok's oldest temple that has been established at around the 1600s before the capital was moved to the city, the originator of the Thai massage as a traditional form of medicine, considered as Thailand's first public university, and where a 15-meter high and 45 meters long Buddha reclines in a very relaxing posture.
And with this visit comes the bragging rights of experiencing authentic traditional Thai massage where it was invented hundreds of years ago.
LUNCH: We had lunch before crossing the Chao Phraya River into Wat Arun through the ferry service at the old Tha Tian Market (17th century), and we had it at the best place I can find in the area, "The Sixth", small with only 4 tables but worth the endorsement from Trip Advisor and the rest of social media, the Pad Thai cooked in its original recipe, the Tom Yum soup creamy and immensely flavor-packed, and the papaya salad crunchy with just the right blend of sweet and saltiness.
[6] Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn)
A 4 baht/person short ferry ride took us from the Wat Pho area to Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of the Dawn for the "lustrous rainbow-like play of colors caused by differential refraction of light waves that tends to change as the angle of view changes" that is caused by the morning rays of the sun bouncing off the temple surface.
Considered as one of the most beautiful temples in Thailand, it was probably built between 1656 and 1688 and once housed the Emerald Buddha before it was moved to Wat Phra Kaew.
[7] Wat Saket (Temple of the Golden Mount)
A 2.2 kilometer tuktuk ride from the Tha Tian Market took us to our last destination, Wat Saket, which traces its history back to the Ayuthayya Era (1351-1767) although the artificial hill where the temple was erected was built only during the reign of King Rama III (1787-1851) while the actual temple structure was started to be constructed during the reign of King Rama IV (853-1910).
Hence, its moniker as the Temple of the Golden Mount which is actually a man-made hill and from there, we walked the last one kilometer to our hotel, legs hurting in a nice way and drenched in sweet sweat from a day-long happy experience.
That was when we realized we actually did a full Visita Iglesia.
DINNER: That night, I took the wife for dinner at rowdy Khao San Road where the raucousness there is an example of the reason why the Visita Iglesia was invented.
I showed her fried scorpions, sampled coconut ice cream and mango-and-sticky rice, and had a so-so dinner of omelette and grilled red snapper at Green House before hailing a taxi who charged us an atrocious 200 baht for the 2.2 kilometer trip back to hotel.
Judas is still alive on Maundy Thursday.
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