Isla De Convalecencia
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Isla de la Convalecencia (), commonly known as simply Isla de Convalecencia (also spelled ''Isla de Convalescencia'' and sometimes erroneously called ''Isla de Convalencia''), is a small narrow
river island River Island (stylised as RiverIsland and abbreviated as RI) is a London-based, multi-channel fashion brand, founded in 1948 by Bernard Lewis (entrepreneur), Bernard Lewis. The retailer has a presence in over 125 of worldwide markets, in stores ...
in the
Pasig River The Pasig River (; ) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and Metro Manila, its surrounding urban area into northern and southern halves. Its m ...
in
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
, the Philippines. It is the only island dividing the Pasig River in Manila located between the districts of San Miguel on the north bank, and
Ermita Ermita is a district in central Manila, Philippines. It is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of Manila, bearing the seat of city government and a large portion of the area's e ...
and Paco on the south. The island, best known as the location of the Hospicio de San José, is administratively part of San Miguel's Barangay 646, Zone 67. It has a total area of approximately and is connected to both sides of the river by the Ayala Bridge. Although the island is primarily occupied by the Hospicio, it also hosts a detachment of the
Philippine Coast Guard The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG; ) is the third armed uniformed service of the country attached to the Philippines' Department of Transportation, tasked primarily with enforcing laws within Philippine waters, conducting maritime security ope ...
that patrols the periphery of the
Malacañang Palace Malacañang Palace (, ), officially known as Malacañán Palace, is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the Philippines. It is located in the Manila district of San Miguel, Manila, San Miguel, along Jose Laurel S ...
complex located just northwest of the island on the north bank of the Pasig River. The island hosts the Hospicio’s small community which includes the 412 children, 64 special needs and 120 elderly residents.


History

The island's name dates back to the 1830s when the ''Hospicio General'' was built and the island was used principally as a place of recuperation or convalescence for patients of the Hospital of San Juan de Dios. It was earlier called Isla de San Andrés (English:
Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Church stems from the Gospel of Jo ...
’s Island) in honor of ''Don'' Andrés Blanco Vermúdez, who owned the island but later donated it to the San Juan de Dios religious order. Prior to the construction of the orphanage and hospital, the island was the site of two Spanish fortifications known as ''Bastión de San Rafael'' and ''Bastión de San Andrés''. The Bastion de San Rafael located on the island's eastern end had its main gate facing the river with a large wharf made of ''piedra de China'' (granite stones). This structure has since been replaced by the convent hospital built by the San Juan de Dios religious order. On the island's southern portion facing San Fernando de Dilao (now Paco) and Concepción (now part of Ermita) was the Bastion de San Andres. The Hospicio General was originally housed in an old ruined building called ''Petruz'' on the island's western portion. It had a small chapel, two infirmaries and several wards. It was later renamed ''Hospicio de San José'' after
Saint Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...
, the orphanage's patron saint.


See also

*
List of islands in the Greater Manila Area This is a list of islands in the Greater Manila Area in the Philippines. There are several small islands located within the Greater Manila Area, particularly along the coast of Manila Bay, both natural and artificial island, artificial. Many of ...


References

{{Metro Manila populated places Geography of Manila Pasig River San Miguel, Manila River islands of the Philippines Islands of Metro Manila