Mother of All Asia–Tower of Peace

Batangas CityPhilippines 13° N · 121° E Updated Aug 2026

A 98-meter Virgin Mary doubles as a navigational landmark for fishermen over the Verde Island Passage, hiding a paid glass walkway and mirror deck inside.

Listen to the guide View map
Time needed
2-3 hours
Entry
Free–₱50 entry; attractions ₱80–₱300
Access
Limited; steep stairways and open-air concrete terraces

For seven years, pilgrims in Batangas City prayed to a disembodied face and a pair of bronze hands bolted to a cloister wall. Those abandoned fragments now crown the Mother of All Asia–Tower of Peace, a 98.15-meter Virgin Mary on a plateau above the Verde Island Passage in the Philippines. You come for the record-breaking height; you stay for the fractured story of how a broken partnership produced the world's tallest Marian statue.

Scale hits before belief. The statue stands taller than the Statue of Liberty and nearly three times the height of Rio's Christ the Redeemer. Inside that concrete shell are 12,353 square meters of floor space — chapels, stairs, and an observation deck looking across the passage toward Mindoro.

From the crown deck, the Philippine sun turns the Verde Island Passage into hammered tin. Marine biologists call this strait the center of marine shorefish biodiversity on Earth. Pilgrims climb 420 interior steps for the view; occasional elevator riders get the same panorama with less penance.

Yet Montemaria keeps strangeness close. The same northwest wall that once displayed Mary's metal face and hands still stands in the Cloisters as a scar of the project's near-collapse. Walk past it and you'll hear wind more than hymns.

Researched by the Audiala editorial team from historical records, architectural archives, and local expertise.

What to see

  1. The Tower Itself, All 98.15 Meters

    The first shock is the height: 98.15 meters of concrete, steel, and Eduardo Castrillo's hand-worked brass, equal to a 33-floor tower planted on a 148-meter ridge. Speak from the central medallion in the forecourt and listen — the hollow of Mary's robes throws your voice back in a parabolic flutter. Then notice the head's slight forward tilt, 5 to 7 degrees seaward, so her gaze lands exactly on the shipping lane into Batangas Bay.

  2. Miracle Walk Glass Bridge

    The cantilevered Miracle Walk pushes out past the plateau edge, its glass floor giving you nothing but treetops and the Verde Island Passage under your shoes. You feel the deck shiver when a strong Habagat gust kicks up from the water — just enough to make your calves tighten. Go at golden hour: the western rail faces Mount Gulugod Baboy and the sunset sets Mary's veil glowing like a lit sail.

  3. A Slow Loop Through the Stations of the Cross

    Skip the crowded bus turnarounds and drop onto the terraced Stations of the Cross path on the eastern slope. The trail meanders under indigenous coastal trees, each sculpted shrine framed by open water, and you'll likely have the benches to yourself. When you finish, the perimeter food pavilions sell Batangas lomi and kapeng Barako strong enough to reset your afternoon.

Plan your visit

Getting There
From Manila, take SLEX to STAR Tollway, exit at Balagtas, then follow Jose P. Laurel Highway to the Batangas–Tabangao–Lobo coastal road and follow signs uphill to Sitio Montemaria. By public transport, ride a bus to Batangas Grand Terminal (₱250–₱300, 2–3 hours), then take a jeepney to SM City Batangas and an Ilijan-bound jeepney to Montemaria (₱60, 40–50 minutes). Return jeepneys get scarce after 4pm.
Opening Hours
Open daily, roughly 6am or 7am to 6pm, year-round including Holy Week and public holidays. As of 2026, Saturday Masses run at Sto. Niño de Praga Chapel at 7am, 9am, 11am, and 4pm; Sunday Masses at St. John Paul II Chapel at 7am, 9am, 11am, and 1pm, plus 4pm at Sto. Niño. Open-air decks may close during typhoons.
Time Needed
A quick prayer-and-photo stop takes 1–1.5 hours: one chapel, the statue base, and bay views from lower terraces. For the 17th-floor observation deck, Mirror Deck, Miracle Walk, both chapels, and garden shrines, budget 3–4 hours. Add extra time on weekends and Holy Week for queues.
Accessibility
The monument has elevators to the 17th-floor observation deck, but the wider complex climbs a steep hillside. Chapels and concourses have ramped or flat entries; moving between parking, chapels, and the statue base means long uphill walks under direct sun. Wheelchair users should arrange drop-off at each structure rather than crossing the full grounds.
Cost & Tickets
Grounds and chapels are free. As of 2026, the 17th-floor view deck costs ₱150, Miracle Walk and Rainbow Glass Ladder ₱300, Mirror Deck ₱80, Dream Maze ₱150, and the 9D Flying Cinema ₱200. Prenup and commercial photo packages run ₱2,500–₱3,500 for groups up to six.

History

A Face, Two Hands, and a Broken Partnership

The Mother of All Asia–Tower of Peace looks like a project centuries in the making. Not even close. Conceived in 2006, the shrine was nearly abandoned in 2010 and only topped out in 2021.

Two men shaped it: healing priest Fr. Fernando Suarez, who drew thousands to weekend services, and Batangas governor Hermilando 'Dodo' Mandanas, who owned the coastal plateau. Their falling-out is the reason the shrine exists in its current, stranger form.

The turning point

The Governor Who Refused to Leave the Face Behind

By 2009, Fr. Suarez's Mary Mother of the Poor Foundation had raised roughly ₱200 million for a healing shrine on Mandanas's land in Barangay Pagkilatan. Sculptor Eduardo Castrillo had already finished Mary's colossal face and hands. Then Suarez left.

Mandanas had banked his name, his family's real estate, and his political reputation on the project. The priest's departure to a larger San Miguel Corporation-backed site in Cavite left him with an unfinished foundation, a pair of disembodied hands, and a face no body could carry.

That was the turning point. Records show Mandanas restructured the effort under Montemaria Asia Pilgrims Inc. and later deeded the land to the Archdiocese of Lipa. He chose to build a 33-story tower beneath the abandoned head and hands.

Construction crawled from 2013 to 2021. Castrillo died in 2016, never seeing the face married to the tower. Suarez died in 2020, chasing a rival mega-shrine. On December 7, 2021, Mandanas saw the finished monolith blessed as a national marker for 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines.

The Sculptor's Unfinished Icon

Eduardo Castrillo shaped the face and hands beginning in 2008, working in bronze and metal before the structure beneath existed. From 2010 to 2017, those pieces hung on the Cloisters' northwest façade, an accidental shrine to a planned statue. Castrillo died on May 18, 2016, at 73, before engineers raised the face onto the concrete tower. The finished work still carries his proportions, but the body below came from a different set of hands.

A Needle Over the Verde Island Passage

The shrine commands the southern lip of Batangas Bay, where the Verde Island Passage squeezes between Luzon and Mindoro. Marine surveys call this strait the global center of marine shorefish biodiversity, with more species packed into its reefs than nearly anywhere else. From the tower's crown, ships heading to Batangas International Port slide beneath the statue's shadow. The monument acts as both maritime landmark and theological claim — a colossal Virgin facing Asia's sea lanes.

Tips for visitors

  • Dress for chapel guards

    Sleeveless tops, crop tops, and very short shorts can keep you out of Sto. Niño and St. John Paul II chapels. Bring a shawl or light long-sleeve — by 11am the concrete terraces bake, so covering up doubles as sun protection.

  • Flash off at Mass

    Handheld phones and cameras are fine across terraces. Flash is prohibited during liturgies, and tripods, drones, or prenup shoots need prior permits — commercial packages run ₱2,500–₱3,500 for up to six people.

  • Beat the 4pm jeepney cutoff

    Ilijan-bound jeepneys back to SM Batangas thin out sharply after 4pm. If you miss the last one, a tricycle charter runs ₱300–₱600, so finish by 3:30 or drive yourself.

  • Lomi over souvenir stalls

    Skip the marked-up souvenir stalls by the gate and eat where locals do: roadside carinderias along Tabangao–Pagkilatan Road serve Batangas lomi for ₱70–₱130, and Johndel Beach Resort grills seafood for ₱200–₱450. Mama Mary Cafe inside the statue base pours iced coffee with bay views for ₱100–₱250.

  • Avoid the midday griddle

    Between 11am and 2:30pm, the mostly open concrete terraces trap punishing heat with little shade. Arrive near opening or after 3pm for cooler air and softer light; Holy Week and Marian feast days bring the largest crowds.

  • Choose your paid extras

    Grounds and chapels are free, but paid add-ons pile up fast: ₱150 view deck, ₱300 Miracle Walk, ₱80 Mirror Deck, ₱150 Dream Maze, ₱200 9D cinema. The 17th-floor view alone beats the glass walkway if you only want one splurge.

Frequently asked

Is Mother of All Asia–Tower of Peace worth visiting?

Yes, if you like monumental religious architecture and raw coastal views, though it's more a pilgrimage theme park than a hushed sanctuary. The 98.15-meter Virgin Mary—taller than the Statue of Liberty—drops over the Verde Island Passage, and the glass Miracle Walk juts out over the cliff. Skip it if you're after quiet contemplation; the paid add-ons and tour buses set the tone.

How long do you need at Mother of All Asia–Tower of Peace?

Give it 3 to 4 hours for the full circuit: elevators to the 17th-floor observation deck, the glass Miracle Walk, both chapels, and the Stations of the Cross path. A quick photo stop at the base takes about an hour. Public jeepneys back to Batangas City thin out after 4:00 PM, so start early.

How do I get to Mother of All Asia–Tower of Peace from Manila?

Take a JAM, DLTB, or Alps bus from Cubao, Buendia, or PITX to Batangas Grand Terminal (₱250–₱300, 2–3 hours), then an Ilijan-bound jeepney from SM City Batangas toward Pagkilatan (₱60, 40–50 minutes). Tell the driver you're getting off at Montemaria. Driving means SLEX to STAR Tollway, exit at Batangas City, then follow the Batangas–Tabangao–Lobo Road up the coastal ridge.

What is the best time to visit Mother of All Asia–Tower of Peace?

November to May, early morning, before the open concrete plaza turns into a griddle. Holy Week brings the biggest crowds and overnight vigils; June to October means squalls and possible glass-walk closures. Golden hour around 5:30 PM lights the statue's western veil over Batangas Bay.

Can you visit Mother of All Asia–Tower of Peace for free?

Yes, the grounds and chapels are free to enter, but almost everything above or interactive costs extra. The 17th-floor observation deck runs ₱150, the Miracle Walk and Rainbow Glass Ladder ₱300, the Mirror Deck ₱80, the Dream Maze ₱150, and the 9D cinema ₱200. Bring cash; tickets are sold on-site at each attraction.

What should I not miss at Mother of All Asia–Tower of Peace?

Ride the elevator to the 17th-floor observation deck inside Mary's chest, then step onto the glass Miracle Walk over the Verde Island Passage. Look closely at Eduardo Castrillo's faceted bronze face and hands—they sat mounted on the Cloisters' wall for seven years before being hoisted onto the tower. The seaward gaze line from the central deck lines up with the Batangas Bay shipping lane.

Why is it called Mother of All Asia?

The name comes from Pope Benedict XVI's 2007 prayer to Our Lady of Sheshan, Mother of the Church in China and All Asia. The statue's 12-star crown and 33 levels encode the Apostles and Christ's 33 earthly years. It was consecrated in December 2021 as part of the Philippines' 500th anniversary of Christianity.

Sources & attribution 27

Researched and written by the Audiala editorial team from historical records, architectural archives, and local expertise. Last updated August 2026.

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  1. Eary Hardee — Unsplash License (https://unsplash.com/license) — Source: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1518509562904-e7ef99cdcc86

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