Temple of Leah – A Symbol of Immortal Love

How far will you go to honor the love of your life? A question I wouldn’t have any answer yet – for the moment.

Over the years, I have always believed that love is an unfathomable idea. Human beings have done a lot of things, most even seem impossible to the eyes, all for the glory of love. I would like to believe that genuine love is eternal and that once you found it, it is worth everything in this world. But then as I grow older, I have known too that it is possible to fall out of it – that in any point, we can just let go and move on if we want to. Skeptical, contrasting, I know.

This blog post probably would answer the question above.

Let me share with you Temple of Leah – commonly dubbed as the Taj Mahal of Cebu. Most of us know that Taj Mahal in India was built as a mausoleum for the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Temple of Leah, similarly, was constructed in the year 2012 as a symbol of the undying love and ceaseless devotion of Teodorico Soriano Adarna to his wife, Leah Villa Albino-Adarna.

Built out of love.

The temple has 24 chambers that house Leah Adarna’s vast collection of treasure chests, books, Persian carpets, Buddha heads, Chinese vases and jars, and figurines she had amassed from her travels abroad. The collections came from at least seven houses where she had stayed throughout her life.

Built along Roman and Grecian architectural lines, temple has 24 chambers. There’s a museum, an art gallery and a library with all the favorite and personal belongings of Leah, mostly from her travels abroad. You will also note that there are statues of gigantic lions, as well as a grand staircase with brass angels. And at the middle of the temple, you’ll find a bronze statue about 9-feet tall of Teodorico Adarna’s Queen, Leah Albino-Adarna.

Unfortunately, at the time of our visit, the temple is under reconstruction and only the grounds are open. Some of the statues are lined up and displayed outside but with a dividing line to keep distance from visitors. However, when you peep inside, the 2.7m (9 feet) bronze statue of Leah is still there, standing in the middle as if welcoming the guests to witness the devotion of his husband to her.

Entrance fee.

Initially, when it was built in 2012 after a year of construction, the family did not collect entrance fees. However, now, they charge P50.00 (USD 1) per adult visitor due to loitering and vandalism issues.

Looking ahead.

Rumors said that the long-term plan was to transfer Leah’s remains to the temple named after her.

Cebu is a place close to my family’s heart – therefore, I will surely revisit this place again and hopefully that time, I can witness the full beauty of whole structure.

For me, this is one grand showcase of immortal love – something I cannot imagine myself to personally do. I do believe, however, that no matter how small or big the gesture is, as long as love is pure and real, it will always be felt and relived for a lifetime.

Are you this kind of romantic? I would love you to answer my question above: How far will you go to honour the love of your life? Share your answers on the comment box below! ❤

Spreading love,

Valerie

xoxo