A Benedictine men’s monastery located on the streets of Mendiola, Philippines, the Manila Abbey San Beda or formally known as Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, is both an abbey and a school.

Founded in the final years of Spanish colonial era in the Philippines by Spanish monks, the monasteries had a rough start at first; such as being suppressed by anti-clerical governments in Spain, loss of financial support from the Spanish crown and the such. To counteract all the monastery’s problems, the monks decided to focus on education, which eventually led to the opening of San Beda College on the 17th of June, 1901. Just like most schools, the curriculum consisted of elementary, secondary, and initial university studies. The college was later accredited, and with all the monastery’s hope, was affiliated by the Pontifical University of the Philippines.

With all the funds the monastery has collected from the college they founded, a church was then built beside the school grounds. Constructed with a Neogothic exterior and Neo-baroque interior, the church’s architecture attracted countless pilgrims and visitors. It was later painted by a Spanish artist, Dom Lesmes Lopez and a church brother, Salvador Alberich.

Visiting the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat will not only let you explore the wonderful architecture of the monastery, but the very San Beda College the monks have built as well. Two in one!