Holy Week 2024: Celestial Garden in Banawa, experiencing the hills and tranquility as you pray

CEBU CITY, Philippines — If you are looking for a place to pray the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross), especially far from the honks of vehicles and bustles in the city, the Celestial Garden, near the Good Shepherd, might fit in your itinerary.

It is owned by the Tanchan Foundation Inc. and is located in the hilly part of Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe, in Cebu City.

READ MORE:

LIST: Holy Week activities

Holy Week traditions: What is Visita Iglesia?

This is the entrance of the Celestial Garden. CDN Digital photo/Christian Dave Cuizon

Moreover, the place is more or less 4.8 kilometers from downtown Cebu City, as per Google Maps.

Praying the Stations of the Cross at the Celestial Gardens would be an excellent experience for you and your company because you would also get to have an adventure while observing the holiness of the occasion.

The 14 stations established here are all white-painted life-sized statues that depict Jesus’ last hours.

READ MORE: 

Holy Week 2024: Religious places you can visit in Cebu

Holy Week 2024: Heritage churches beckon for ‘Visita Iglesia’

Looping children in during the observance of Holy Week

This is the first stop going down to the first station. In this statue, Jesus is shown kneeling and praying. CDN Digital photo/Niña Mae Oliverio

This means that they show a clear picture of what Jesus went through before his death.

Furthermore, you must prepare your body for walking from the 1st to the 14th station because it would take more or less four minutes (depending on your pace) before you reach the next station.

Given the location of the place, you must expect to experience climbing a hill, so you better wear clothes that are appropriate to the landscape.

What should you prepare when going to the Celestial Gardens?

Here are the things you must wear or bring if you plan to go there:

1. Wear light clothes, preferably fit for trekking.
2. Wear sneakers or rubber shoes.
3. Bring water and snacks.
4. Bring your umbrellas to shade you from the sun or to protect you from the rain.
5. Bring extra clothes or a face towel for your sweat.

This is the view that will welcome you after finishing the 14 stations. CDN Digital photo/Niña Mae Oliverio

How to get there?

If you want to go there, you may ride a public utility jeepney or taxi.

Look for a jeepney that has a route bound to Labangon, such as the 12L, and tell the driver or its assistant to drop you off at the Good Shepherd Intersection Road or outside the compound of Paseo Arcenas in Banawa, where you can find a famous fast food chain by the entrance.

Meanwhile, you may also opt to ride on a jeepney going to Banawa with the number ‘7’ on it and have you dropped off at the same area.

If you choose to drop off along Paseo Arcenas, from there, you may opt to hop on a motorcycle for hire (habal-habal), go to the hill or choose to hike for more or less 15 minutes.

However, if you choose to drop off at the Good Shepherd Intersection Road, you may also opt to ride on a habal-habal or hike for more or less 15 minutes going up the hill. 

Holy Week 2024: Here are some photos inside the Celestial Gardens

Holy Week 2024: Celestial Gardens in Banawa more passion scenes