COOLWATERWORKS

Death comes to all

But great achievements raise a monument

Which shall endure until the sun grows old.

- George Fabricius

Celestial Gardens is a cemetery in Banawa, Cebu City privately owned and managed by the TANCHAN Foundation. The 5.5 hectare burial ground on a high hill is open to the public. One Saturday, I decided to explore it on my own.

The “Gardens” is popular during the Holy Week because of its Stations of the Cross (following the stations in meditative prayer is popularly called “Way of the Cross”). I decided to follow the route of the Stations.

I found out that the “Way of the Cross” is quite conducive to meditative prayer as the route takes you to trees, sprawling greens and uphill climbs. Since it was not the Lenten season when I visited the “Gardens”, the Stations were not yet tended. Vines were covering some statues, the white paint of some of them were washed-out and some show visible damage due to acid rain.

This is the view from the Second Station leading to the next station…

By following the well-worn paths, I entered into this trail in-between rows of calachuchi trees…

The trail was literally covered by dried calachuchi leaves accented by its fallen white flowers…

After going uphill for several minutes, I was lead to the centerpiece of the place, the tomb of the person to whom the “Gardens” was originally intended.

I was not able to track the stations, but one of them is situated just near the main tomb.

Downtown Cebu is visible in the Celestial Gardens. Below is the Fuente Osmeña-Jones Avenue area…

And the Lahug area…

Since the sun is already high when I reached the top of the Celestial Gardens, I decided to head back to the main gates. There are still other areas which I have not explored in the “Gardens”.

I look forward to low light sceneries and flickering candle lights of those following the Way of the Cross… Celestial Gardens merits another visit…