Years later, San Beda College was established named after the great English Benedictine scholar and saint, the college opened on the 17th of June, 1901. It provided both elementary, secondary and university studies to the Philippine people and their graduates were offered either Bachelor of Art degrees or diplomas in business. In 1906, San Beda College was accredited and affiliated with the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas.

However, due to growing needs, the monks purchased land on Mendiola Street and entrusted the pastoral care of the region to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart from the Netherlands in 1909. 

In 1918, the monks expanded their current location and the construction of the abbey church began in 1925. On February 15th, the cornerstone was laid and the abbey was finally completed and consecrated on January 13, 1926, in honor to the Infant of Prague. 

The abbey church is constructed in a Neo-Gothic exterior with a Neo-Baroque interior painted by Dom Lesmes López, a Spaniard, and Brother Salvador Alberich from 1931 to 1939. The pair worked on the abbey church until 1939, leaving only the back wall of the nave above the entrance blank. 

The ceiling is adorned with 16 allegories on the virtues, theology and the Church, entitled “The Apotheosis of the Holy Name of Jesus”. The walls are lined with eight panels on the Nativity of the Lord. Alongside that, you can also find paintings of the Stations of the Cross. 

Then, in 2010, Rev Aelred Nilo designed a mural to finally fill the empty back wall of the nave. This mural was executed by the Italian painter Francesco Giannini on 126 square metres of jute canvas and was meant to tell the story of the present congregation, as well as the Resurrected Christ, saints, and other religious figures, some based on real-life photographs. 

The church has full of devotion and beauty, as soon as you step into the Abbey. The marker of the Abbey, installed way back in 1939 by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines stands as a graceful reminder of the past. 

The breathtaking stained glass doors, the arched gospel naves, and the ground level windows are all constructed with an artistic precision that makes them an integral part of the Abbey’s beauty. Furthermore, the organ can be clearly seen at the right transept, and the flooring, even today, is well designed and decorated. 

The freestanding altar, decorated with intricate and captivating details, is a true testament as to how much thought and effort was invested in this church. The altar is accompanied by choir stalls at the chancel and the statue of the Holy infant of Prague enshrined in the cedar wood retablo dominating the altar. 

At the Manila Abbey, history meets beauty, and peace resonates in every corner.