‘The Spirit of Bethlehem’ at Riverbanks Center

MANILA, Philippines - A private collection of over 500 belens from all over the world finds a home at one-stop shopping and tourism destination Riverbanks Center in Marikina City to keep the Christmas spirit aglow in people’s hearts.

After having kept in her house in Quezon City and in the former building of DepEd in Marikina, belen collection owner Carmen Abaya-Carlos chose to open the museum at Riverbanks Center so the collection can be viewed by more people who come to the commercial complex for its many unique attractions.

The museum boasts numerous pieces from here and abroad, collected through decades of devotion to the Infant Jesus and the Holy Spirit, with friends and family also adding to the Carlos collection with gifts.

Among those on display is Carmen Abaya-Carlos’ very first belen bought in 1952 at a religious trade store. Among the most precious are the numerous Lladros, which her late husband handcarried from trips abroad, and the Goebells from Germany. 

Several belens from other countries like Spain, Mexico, Guatemala, Africa, Israel, and the different regions in the Philippines reflect the culture in their places of origin.

There’s a lovely metal plate belen painted by the late President Cory Aquino.

There are priceless belens handcrafted by family members like Carmen’s sister-in-law Maggie Carlos, who handpainted a Nativity scene in stone or big pebbles. Another came from her good friend Aleli Vengua, a collector of miniatures, who passed away in 2004. 

Vengua has an awesome collection of tiny but real-looking replicas of things that can be found in a European mansion. The Museum of Miniatures is a collection of shadow boxes filled with Lilliputian pieces of 1:1 scale.

The Spirit of Bethlehem and The Museum of Miniatures are located at the 2nd level of the E-com Building, Riverbanks Center, Marikina City. For more information, visit www.riverbankscenter.com or call 570-0701 local 332 or 334.