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Marian Hills at Lindogon, Sibonga






Marian Hills at Barangay Lindogon in the town of Sibonga located in the southern part of Cebu is the address of the very popular pilgrimage site - the Monastery of the Holy Eucharist of which the Miraculous Mama Mary of Lindogon is enshrined. Otherwise known as "Birhen sa Simala" or the Monastery of the Holy Eucharist, the place is under the care of the Marian Monks of the Eucharistic Adoration or Monghe ni Sta. Maria for short. 

At least among the Roman Catholics in Cebu or from the other nearby provinces, this has become a popular pilgrimage destination (or shall I say a must) for two reasons. One, it is believed that due to the very miraculous nature of the Virgin Mary (it was being reported that the Virgin Mary miraculously shed its tears on several occasions from the past) that whatever you pray for (no matter how dire or critical it might be) will be heard and ultimately granted. Two, as a show of faith wherein prayers and thanksgiving are offered. Most especially from those people who's prayers and wishes were granted.

Personally, I can't really say anything for the other people but for me and being a Roman Catholic myself, all I can say that for the past two prayers or petitions that I had in the past - all of them were granted. That is why I am one of the avid devotees that will try to visit at least once a year to offer my thanksgiving prayer. And probably for this reason, there's no  wonder why hoards of people constantly flock to the area regularly due to this. 

What's interesting though is that recently, not only people of faith visits the area but tourists as well both foreign and local (even if they're on a different faith). Where can you find an architecture of that kind and magnitude anywhere else in the country?

Also, a lot of the tourists include this in their itinerary - to pass by the area before or after going in their other destinations

Pardon me of my limited vocabulary on how to describe the place and the aura that you feel when you're in the place but it's up you to decide based on the pictures that I can show you below.

Picture taken from the Parking Lot beside the Entrance

Magnificent Towers

The Stairs going up

The Beginning of the Stairs that will lead to the Church Entrance

The View on the Opposite Side (The Exit)

Notice the Architecture

Notice the Grandeur

Can't really see anything similar in the entire country

The View Below (Still Under Development)

The View Surrounding the Monastery

I wonder what's the Particular Inspiration in the Design of this Complex.

Truly one of a Kind

The View from the Church Entrance

The Whole Complex isn't Done yet but the Grandeur is already visible

Each Color Represents a Particular Aspect of your Life  

It's up to you what Aspect to Focus and it might either be a Prayer or a Thanksgiving

There will be a man-made Cascading Waterfalls and a Lagoon when this project is Done

Pretty soon, a Man-Made Waterfalls will be seen in no time!

The Lagoon Below

The Lagoon


The Facade

View from the Opposite Side (From the Exit Part)


Truly an Amazing Architecture!

How to get there:

The Monastery is more or less 60 kms. away from Cebu City and it will take you at least a couple of hours or more travel time depending on the type of your commute.
Thru private vehicle. The fastest and most comfortable ride:

It can be accessed through Cebu South Road heading straight towards south going to the town of Argao. But you're not going to Argao, right? Kidding aside, after you pass thru the town proper of Sibonga, look for Brgy. Simala and you'll notice a junction (plenty of people and the traffic is noticeable) then thru your right is the road that will lead you to the Shrine.

Thru V-Hires (Van-for-Hire). A lot faster versus public bus and more convenient since it will head straight to the site:

You need to go to SM Seaside Mall and look for the v-hire terminal inside. There's a route that will head straight to the Shrine and the fare is more or less at Php150.00.

Thru the public bus system. The cheapest way and the most plenty of Trip Schedules:

You need to go to the South Bus Terminal at N. Bacalso Ave., just beside Elizabeth Mall aka E-Mall. Head to the Center Wing area and look for Bays 5 to 9 where you can find the Ceres buses. There will be dispatchers and bus conductors to help you so ask around. You can choose between a Non Aircon and an Aircon type. Tell the bus conductor that you're heading to the Simala Shrine and you need to embark on the junction road. From there you need to ride a motorcycle-for-hire or popularly called the "habal-habal" to bring you up to the hills. You can also choose Tricycles if you are not of the adventurous type. Fare for the bus is around Php100.00 (Aircon Fare is a bit higher) and Php20.00 for the habal-habal each pax or lower for the tricycles.

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