The Iglesia Ni Cristo Locale of Washington ( fil, Lokal ng Washington), is a
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
of the
Philippine
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
-based
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
sect
A sect is a subgroup of a religious, political, or philosophical belief system, usually an offshoot of a larger group. Although the term was originally a classification for religious separated groups, it can now refer to any organization that b ...
, the
Iglesia ni Cristo. Located at
Sampaloc, Manila
Sampaloc is a district of Manila, Philippines. It is referred to as the University Belt or simply called ''“U-Belt”'' for numerous colleges and universities are found within the district such as the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest exta ...
,
it was completed on 1948, and it is the first chapel built in reinforced
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...
by the church.
Brief history
By the late 1940s, The Church Administration decided to build a permanent house of worship for the young and growing Local Congregation of Washington. This locale was already established in the early 40s out of parts of the Tayuman Congregation, under which an extension was established to serve the brethren in northeastern Manila. Brother
Felix Y. Manalo
Felix Manalo Ysagun (born Félix Ysagun y Manalo; May 10, 1886 – April 12, 1963), also known as Ka Felix, was the founder and the first Executive Minister of Iglesia ni Cristo. Followers see Manalo as a prophet and the last messenger of Go ...
tasked architect Alfredo J. Luz to build a concrete house of worship along Washington street (now A. Maceda street) in
Sampaloc,
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
. It was dedicated by Brother Manalo in 1948, the first of many to be built in the coming years.
In 2010, the 62-year-old chapel underwent renovation to meet the standard of the Iglesia ni Cristo Construction and Engineering Department. The chapel was upgraded into an fully air-conditioned chapel and made some alterations in the interior and partially on exterior of the chapel. The chapel is now part of the