Colegio de Santa Rosa was initially known as Beaterio y Casa de Enseñanza, and was established for the education of orphaned girls by Madre Paula de Santissima Trinidad in 1750. The college occupied a lot in front of the Santo Tomas University. In 1739, this lot was occupied by a small residence, which had to be demolished to make way for the school building.
Madre Paula had come from Lerida, Spain to Manila with the expressed purpose of establishing a school. Beside the school a beaterio was built. In 1774, the school was granted royal patronage on condition that it be opened to women of all classes. The institution was taken over by the Daughters of Charity in 1886 and had its name changed to COLEGIO DE SANTA ROSA.
Although damaged in 1863 by an earthquake and by another one in 1880, a new and bigger structure was built in place of the ruins. By the turn of the century the college was one of the more important institutions of learning for women. The building was destroyed by the initial bombing of Manila in 1941 forcing the sisters to transfer the school to Sta. Mesa.
In 1949, a new school was opened at the old site in Intramuros. The administration of Colegio de Santa Rosa was handed over to the sisters of the Siervas de San Jose (Servants of Saint Joseph ) that same year.
In 1981, it was transferred to the Augustinian Recollect nuns who run the school today. Although the post-war school buildings followed the modern style. Recently, the buildings have undergone a facelift and the turn of the century facade of Sta. Rosa has been recreated, in concrete rather than in wood used in the original.
Colegio de Sta. Rosa is located at Solana St., Intramuros, Manila.
Telephone no.:Tel # 527-37-97 and 301-05-06
Source: Intramuros Administration
