Most of the Structures in the district of Intramuros date back to the Spanish times. Most are either rotting away or in the process of being restored. So it surprised me to see that there was something new added quite recently. Just past the Puerta de Isabel II is rather large fork in the road, the left goes to Intramuros proper, while the right takes you along the Pasig river, underneath Jones Bridge and beside the Manila Central Post Office, it was a rather convoluted way of bringing vehicles to Jones Bridge from Intramuros since vehicles are not allowed to cross the directly to Jones Bridge.
At the fork is a new structure, it is Cruceiro or Wayside Stone Cross. It is a popular devtion of the Christian in the region of Galicia in spain. It serves as a holy place of prayer and is also symbolizes protection from God. In Galicia, it marks the way to Santiago de Compostela where the remains of Saint James the Apostle lay. Because of this, the cruceiro is said to protect the surrounding area, its roads and naturally serves as a very useful landmark for travellers. According to the marker, this Cruceiro is the first in Asia and was installed only in 2002. The cruceiro is not something that looks out of place here. Despite the fact that this landmark is out in the open, it has always been respected, especially since the top of the cruceiro has a crucifix.
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