The Manila Cathedral Facade
The Manila Cathedral, also known as the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, was the seat of the Archbishop of Manila during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, and still remains the ecclesiastical seat of the Archdiocese of Manila.
The See of Manila, with jurisdiction over all the Philippine Islands and suffragan to the See of Mexico, was erected in 1578. The first bishop, Domingo de Salazar (born 1512), arrived in September 1581.
History
On January 24, 1571 , feast of St. John the Baptist, the Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legaspi founded the city of Manila . He earlier took possession of Maynilad, the native settlement of Rajah Matanda and Rajah Sulayman on May 19, 1571 and firmly established Spanish authority in the newly conquered and untrammeled turf. The historic day happened to be the feast of Santa Potenciana and to honor her, she was made patroness of the new territory. Armed with the Spanish sword and the Cross, Legaspi, in his role as conquistador, apportioned a parcel of land for the church of the new settlement under the patronage of La Purisima Inmaculada Concepcion.
The Church of Manila was established by the secular Juan de Vivero who had the honor of baptizing Rajah Matanda. Vivero first arrived in these shores in 1566 as chaplain of the nao or galleon of San Geronimo which had come to support the Spanish colonization of the newly discovered islands. He was given the special privilege and sole faculty by the Archbishop of Miexico to establish the spiritual administration of the new Philippine colony. Later, Vivero would become the first vicar-general and the first ecclesiastical judge of Manila .
The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception administered the religious affairs of Manila until such time it became a parish and Manila was created into a diocese. It was a simple structure of nipa and bamboo, materials which were readily available during that time. It had for its first parish priest the secular Juan de Villanueva. The other religious who became the pillars of this parish were Juan de Vivaneta and Nicolas Riccio.
This church was also witness to the events that would threaten the city and its residents. On November 30, 1574 , the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, the Spanish forces were able to quell Limahong’s invasion. Because of such fortunate turn of events, the holy apostle was made patron saint of Manila . The victory was celebrated with fireworks and a Mass with sermon was held in the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Manila . In 1591, at the age of 76 years, Bishop Salazar sailed from Manila to Spain , accompanied by the Dominican Fray Miguel de Benavides, to work for the erection of Manila into an archdiocese. He left the cathedral building in a state of near completion, enough for mass to be celebrated in it. The first stone cathedral had a central nave and two collateral ones.
The succeeding years saw the continuous efforts made to complete the cathedral structure. A Royal Cedula, dated June 11, 1594 , ordered Governor General Dasmariñas to allocate 12,000 ducats for the bells, the ornaments, retablos, organs, lamps, and other materials the cathedral would require.
While in the court of Madrid in Spain , Bishop Salazar had a slight accident which greatly weakened him. Fatigued by his travels, work, and age, Bishop Salazar died on December 4, 1594 . He died without returning to Manila to reign as its first archbishop and without ever seeing his beloved cathedral completed.
The Elevation of Manila as Archdiocese: 1595
On August 14, 1595 , Pope Clement VIII issued a brief erecting Manila into a Metropolitan Archdiocese and its three suffragan dioceses of Nueva Segovia (Vigan), Nueva Caceres (Naga), and Santisimo Nombre de Jesus ( Cebu ). Its new territory now extended “100 leagues north and south, the villages were distant from its capital, being 40 leagues to the north, and about 60 to the south. It is bounded on the north by the Diocese of Nueva Segovia and on the south by that of Cebu . Its western boundaries are maritime.”
Progress in Construction: 1597
In 1595, sacred relics were given by the Holy See and brought to Manila by the Jesuit Fray Alfonso Sanchez. The relics were from 155 martyrs, 20 popes, St. Polycarp, and St. Potenciana. A structure was built specifically to house the relics at the side of the cathedral. When the structure was completed, the relics were formally deposited there in 1597. Governor Juan Niño de Tabora and his wife Doña Magdalena Saldivar y Medoza built another collateral structure to shelter subsequent relics.
The First Archbishop: Fray Ignacio de Santibañez
The second bishop assigned to Manila to reign as the first archbishop of the newly erected archdiocese was Fray Ignacio de Santibañez of the Order of San Francisco .
Archbishop Santibañez gained fame as a very good preacher and speaker. However, his administration of the archdiocese was short-lived. He died on August 14, 1598 only two months and four days since he took over the Archdiocese of Manila
The Earthquake of 1599 and 1600
In 1597, the Ecclesiastical Chapter or Cathedral Chapter wrote to the king that the buildings for the cathedral were not yet finished. There was still neither a chapter hall, baptistry, bell tower nor cloister. The principal altar, two auxiliary ones and the choir were built solely from alms. This cathedral suffered during an earthquake in 1599 and, still unfinished, experienced another strong earthquake the following year. At midnight of December 31, 1600 , 29 years after Manila was established, a very strong earthquake hit the colonial capital, which almost completely destroyed the cathedral.
The Jesuit Pedro Chirino described the Manila Catheral in 1600 to be built with solid wooden posts, so big and thick that two men were not enough to fully embrace each post. Although the cathedral seemed to be strong with its solid posts, it was not sturdy enough to resist the typhoon that devastated it.
By the beginning of the 17 th century, the cathedral was still unfinished, although Governor General Francisco Tello wrote in a letter addressed to the king on July 6, 1601 , that the cathedral of Manila was in fine condition with a tower and a sacristy. Yet much was still to be accomplished. The process of completion was slow since the Royal Treasury lacked funds to subsidize the project. Still, a glimmer of hope was seen with the incumbency of the second Archbishop of Manila, Fray Miguel de Benavides, who became Manila ’s vicar in August of 1603.
Archbishop Benavides initiated the rebuilding of the Manila Cathedral in stone but he never lived long enough to see the cathedral finished. He passed away on July 26, 1605 , two years after his ascension to the archbishopric. The cathedral project was left in the hands of his successor, Diego Vasquez de Mercado, who became archbishop on June 1, 1610 .
By 1607, the Manila Cathedral was in such a miserable condition that it became necessary to abandon it and transfer cathedral services to the Chapel of San Andres of the Colegio de Santa Potenciana. This condition continued for the next seven years until a new one of stone was built.
Archbishop Mercado continued the late prelate’s project. He expanded, beautified, and completed the cathedral building. In 1614, a new Manila Cathedral of three naves, seven chapels, and ten altars arose. It was built largely from funds donated by the licentiate Don Francisco Gomez de Arellano, fourth dean of the cathedral, from the alms solicited by the good archbishop from residents of Manila , and from the Royal Treasury.
The seven chapels of the Manila Cathedral were built from donations given by generous patrons of the cathedral. The capilla mayor or largest chapel of the cathedral was dedicated to Don Francisco Gomez de Arellano, a most generous donor of the cathedral. For his kind and magnanimous deed, Don Francisco was assigned, upon his death, a special niche with bronze letterings and border at the capilla mayor. Francisco Gomez de Arellano had served as cura en propiedad in Villa de Arevalo in Panay. He was also capellon mayor and rector of the Royal College of Santa Potenciana in 1598, a canon of the church, and the chaplain for the Hospital Real de los Españoles.
Captain Juan Sarmiento and his wife Isabel de Paredes of Manila founded a chapel and masses amounting to 200 pesos every year. Captain Antonio de Espinosa and his wife Maria de Acriaza, descendants of one of the oldest families of Manila , founded a chapel under the patronage of San Bartolome and a chaplaincy of 180 pesos. The beautiful Capilla del Sagrario, or Sanctuary Chapel, was founded by Captain Alonzo Tarancon with funds coming from the property of the late Miguel Simon, a devout and pious man who was accorded the honorary title of padre. A chaplaincy was also founded for the Curato de Españoles, curary for Spaniards, amounting to 210 pesos each year, with 140 pesos for the lamp of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Archbishop Vasquez de Mercado founded on the left side of the capilla mayor a chapel for his sepulcher and all the prebends who desired to be interred there. In his designated niche was a large slab measuring one vara in height and two and a half in width, with his portrait etched in wood over the slab. He also founded a chaplaincy of 1,000 pesos every year at the disposal of the Chapter. The next chapel was founded by the accountant Alonso de Espinosa Saravia with a chaplaincy of 150 pesos every year for the service of the Chapter. The last chapel was founded by Don Rodrigo de la Barrera with a chaplaincy of 150 pesos every year.
The remains of the late Archbishop Benavides were interred at the Gospel side of the principal altar. Archbishop Vasquez de Mercado, who died in an accident on June 12, 1616 , was interred in the mortuary chapel he founded in the cathedral.
The Earthquakes of 1621 and 1645
It was not long after when an earthquake on August 1, 1621 , caused serious damages on the cathedral’s walls, columns, and roofs. The cathedral became so structurally weak and unsafe such that it posed danger to anyone who desired to go inside the building. It was imperative to rebuild it since repairs would not improve its miserable condition. At this period, the cathedral did not even have a main retablo but only a canopy with an image of Christ. Men were even employed just to guard and keep watch over the ornaments and other precious objects within the cathedral.
Between July 1, 1641 , the date of Archbishop Hernando Guerrero’s death, and July 1645, the date when Archbishop Fernando Montero took possession of the archdiocese, the cathedral underwent reconstruction. However, the cathedral fell victim again to nature’s devastation when an earthquake destroyed it on November 30, 1645 , feastday of St. Andrew.
The earthquake was one of the strongest to hit Manila , with tremors repeatedly shaking the city days after. The earthquake hit the city at 8 in the evening with the bells of the cathedral and the Convent of Santo Domingo pealing loudly with the intensity of the quake, joining the tremors that shook the buildings and the residents of Manila . Six hundred residents of the city were buried beneath the rubble and debris, with the religious going around to administer confession and the last rites to the dying victims.
The cathedral easily fell in ruins, its bell tower crumbled to the ground, and its walls reduced to their foundations. Only the capilla mayor and a wall remained. The archives inside the chapter hall were irretrievably buried. Books and papers regarding the early history of the colony were lost forever.
The tremors continued for the next few days, and on the fifth day, a quake of even stronger intensity destroyed whatever structures and ruins were left standing. In less than an hour, many people died. Killed were more than 450 people with 150 houses leveled to the ground. Because of the continuous tremors, the Spanish residents of Manila , fearing for their lives, left the city and rented the simple huts of the natives in the outlying arrabales of Manila . It was a sight to see the most finicky and delicate Spaniards, who before lived luxuriously in their ample salons, living in the humble huts of the indios.
The Manila Cathedral was so devastated that a camarin made of wood with bamboo and nipa for a roof was built to temporarily house the flock in the plaza facing the Governor General’s Palace. The cathedral was reduced to a memory together with all the structures in the city. The earthquake impoverished the cathedral so much with its sources of income lost.
In 1645, after the earthquake, a generous donor, Doña Luisa de Cosar, widow of the former Governor of Formosa, Sergeant Major Francisco Suarez de Figueroa, offered to establish an endowment to have the Sagrario de los Curas, or Priests’ Sanctuary, and chapel for the Most Blessed Sacrament rebuilt. This was her way of thanksgiving for being spared from the earthquakes of November 30 and December 4, 1645 and a means to express her love and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. The Cathedral Chapter accepted the endowment with all its stipulations for the reconstruction, upkeep, and maintenance of the Cathedral’s Sanctuary
Reconstruction under Archbishop Poblete
The process of reconstruction of the whole cathedral was to start only after some years upon the arrival of Miguel de Poblete in 1653. On July 24, 1653 , the new archbishop Miguel de Poblete entered the city of Manila after arriving in the port of Cavite from Acapulco and sadly viewed the ruins of the old cathedral and the temporary camarin which served as the cathedral in the middle of the plaza. He had the ugly camarin removed and cathedral services temporarily installed in the Church of the Confraternity of La Santa Mesa de Misericordia. For the next six years, the Misericordia Church would function as the interim cathedral. Immediately, the new archbishop planned to reconstruct the stone cathedral.
On April 20, 1654 , the cornerstone of the new cathedral was laid by Archbishop Poblete with the governor general, the Royal Audencia, the Cabildos, and the religious communities in attendance. Archbishop Poblete personally went on foot around Manila , soliciting donations for the cathedral project. In spite of the relative poverty of the city denizens at that time, the good archbishop was able to collect 3,000 pesos in contributions. To this initial fund, he added whatever little money he had. He even made a wooden scale model of the proposed edifice which would have three naves and would be of the Roman Doric order.
From 1658 to 1659, work on the cathedral was hastened. At this stage, contributions began pouring in. The Spanish monarch donated 22,000 pesos from the Royal Treasury of Mexico. Supporting the completion of the project were the products of the vacancies of the archbishopric. When all the donations were spent, the Archbishop sold his silverware, his pectoral cross and ring just to keep the construction going.
By 1659, the cathedral’s naves were already enclosed and the Sagrario de los Curas, the choir and the Chapter hall were finished. At this time, Archbishop Poblete decided to hold Holy Mass in it. The Church of Misericordia , which had served as interim cathedral, was asked to transfer all the cathedral ornaments to the new structure’s sacristy for this event. On December 5, 1659 , the archbishop consecrated the big bell and blessed the belfry of the new Manila Cathedral.
On December 7, 1659 , eve of the feast of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the Archbishop celebrated low Mass in the Sanctuary of the new cathedral. The following day, the feast itself, a Pontifical Sung Mass was celebrated in the cathedral with the governor general, the Royal Audencia, the religious, and other dignitaries in attendance. From then on, the divine functions were performed by the archbishop in the cathedral.
More support came for the cathedral, so that by 1662, religious services were held there more conveniently. That year, the main altar of the cathedral was built out of molave, a native hardwood, whereas an artist painted and decorated the silken cover of this altar. Contributing greatly to this cathedral building were Governor Sabiniano Manrique de Lara and the residents of Manila .
The archbishop planned to have the cathedral formally dedicated on August 31, 1662 , with much festivity, but the several revolts in the Parian and in the provinces of Pampanga, Pangasinan, and Ilocos made it impossible. Although only partially completed with some finishing works still to be executied, the cathedral was blessed on June 7, 1662 . The new cathedral was a beautiful structure of stone, with many altars and chapels. Someone pictured it out in detail:
“The Cathedral was beautifully built of quarried stone, lime, and gravel. It was 40 brazas long, 15 brazas wide, and 9 branzas high. It had three naves, one at the center and one each on both sides. Each side had seven beautiful columns. The main portal or entrance was adorned with three doors. Each door corresponded to the naves opening out to the plaza. At approximately the middle of the edifice were side doors each leading to the city streets. It had two Sanctuaries—one for Spaniards and another, for natives. There were 8 windows, 4 on each side. Chapels lined the sides with a one-braza elevation from the side streets. The woodwork was all of molave. It had a splendid presbytery, the table of which was 5 steps elevated. The Choir was 3 steps higher than the floor with 52 carved wooden chairs. There were two Pontifical thrones—one on each side of the choir.
“The Cathedral had an imposing tower with a huge bell in it. Near the tower base were located the various offices of the Cathedral. At the top of the tower was a clock.”
Archbishop Poblete died on December 7, 1667 , bequeathing his wealth for the maintenance and upkeep of the cathedral. In his lifetime, he spent 25,000 pesos for the construction of his beloved cathedral. He also donated ornaments, vestments, and vessels for decoration and use during divine services. He was also able to obtain sacred relics which he donated to the cathedral church: an arm of San Marcial, an arm of San Jocundo, an arm of one of the 1,000 virgins, and a piece of the Holy Cross of Christ. The relics were encased in special silver and golden reliquaries.
He entrusted the completion of the cathedral project to his nephew and executor, Don Jose Millan de Poblete, dean of the Cathedral Cahpter of Manila. The project continued with funds generated by the income of vacant encomiendas and from the residents of Manila . In less than two years, the arches, entrances, and collateral naves were finished. On August 31, 1671 , the principal chapel or capilla mayor was completed and dedication rites were celebrated on September 8, 1671 , although construction was not yet fully completed. Work continued until 1681 when the sacristy and other offices of the cathedral were built.
More Restoration Work under Archbishop Camacho
During the term of Archbishop Diego Camacho y Avila, 1697-1706, the cathedral project received so much attention. The archbishop solicited funds to perfect the cathedral and finish the bell tower. He was able to raise 40,000 pesos for the ornamentation of the cathedral. The periods of building and refurbishing were interrupted by natural calamities, like typhoons and earthquakes, and what were completed had to be restored again.
Archbishop Camacho is credited to have completed the sacristy, which was painted and covered with a gilded roof, the Chapter hall, offices, and the choir with its tribunas and grilleworks. He was also responsible for fabricating a lovely pulpit made out of ivory, ebony, and tindalo which the Cathedral Chapter reported to the king as the best in the colony. In the center of the pulpit was the image of the Immaculate Conception of the same material.
It was also during Camacho’s term that the bell tower was completed in 1706. Hired to build the six-tiered bell tower was the Sangley master mason Dionisio Saplan. The Cabildo Eclesistico wrote praises about the tower which could compete in beauty and structure with those in Mexico and Peru . When the Arcbbishop left for his new assignment in Guadalajara , the cathedral was fully repaired, complete with bell tower and ornamentations.
Repairs under Archbishop Rodriguez
Fray Juan Angel Rodriguez ascended to the archbishopric of Manila in 1736 and initiated repairs and renovations on the cathedral. In 1737, the media naranja of the bell tower was demolished and rebuilt in brick with a cupola much prettier than its antecedent. The cathedral church itself was in a ruinous condition. Its hardwood flooring was deplorable, the wooden arched ceiling so damaged, and the roof, especially the areas over the collateral naves, had fallen down. The retablos, which were poorly treated, suffered from the effects of water the continuously leaked from the ceiling and ran over it. The choir area was intolerably humid and filthy, a condition brought about by bats which inhabited the space. Totally, the cathedral was very unserviceable except for its walls.
Such miserable condition of the cathedral spurred Archbishop Rodriguez to improve the edifice. He replaced the deteriorated wooden parts of the structure and was himself able to obtain 13 large bells for the cathedral. For lack of money for the project, he was prompted to solicit from the government unused stones, bricks, and lime originally intended for royal works. In 1740, he reiterated the request but did not live long enough to realize his dream.
The Cathedral by Archbishop Poblete and His Successors until 1751
Prior to the cathedral’s reconstruction by Uguccioni, the structure was a simple and long quadrilateral church annexed with auxiliary services and spaces to complement and support the main congregation or worship area. To its left side, near the main portal, was the Cathedral Chapter hall and an octagonal bell tower. The cathedral was divided into three naves—a principal nave and two collateral ones—separated by colonnades. Seven chapels founded by the generous faithful flanked the side naves. At the back of the main altar were the sacristy, a small parlor and the stairs leading to the private room above.
To the left of the nave, and separated by a patio from the Chapter hall, was the Parroquia del Sagrario, which was the chapel serving as a parish church for Spaniards. It had its own sacristy located immediately behind it. In a small patio located outside the Sagrario and the left wall of the cathedral were 12 houses or casitas, where dwelt poor sacristans. A small pozo or well and a camarin for storage were also located in this courtyard. The cathedral had hardwood flooring, a wooden ceiling, and a height not in proportion to its length. This was the cathedral of Archbishop Poblete and his successors who repaired and improved on it. This was also the same cathedral which Archbishop Trinidad, who was Poblete’s successor, deemed wise to be reconstructed in 1751.
Under Archbishop Pedro de la Santisima Trinidad
Archbishop Pedro de la Santisima Trinidad Martinez de Arisala became Manila’s vicar in 1747. He saw the dilapidated state of the cathedral and decided to have it reconstructed by a fine architect to avoid any future defects in the edifice every time natural disasters struck the city. The archbishop requested Nueva España to send a good maestro who could handle the work and in 1748 informed the Spanish monarch that a new cathedral should replace the present one.
The following year, Archbishop Trinidad asked for financial assistance enclosing the report of the Jesuit architect Father Joaquin Mezquita, the military engineer Don Tomas de Castro y Andrade and Don Antonio Gonzalez de Quijano. The report stated that the length of the cathedral was uproportional to its width and, thus, the structure necessitated rebuilding according to the norms of architecture. In response, a Royal Cedula was dispatched, ordering the Archbishop and the Royal Audencia to submit the design for a new cathedral church and the cost estimates for the said project.
Before the Royal Cedula could reach Manila , a Florentine architect and engineer, in the person of Juan de Uguccioni, passed by Manila during the latter end of the year 1750. A missionary of the Sagrada Congregacion de Propaganda Fide, Fray Uguccioni was on his way to Goa , India , after serving the English in a technical capacity in the Malvar coast.
Upon the request of Archbishop Trinidad, Uguccioni made an assessment of the cathedral which he submitted on December 9, 1750 . His findings confirmed the previous reports on the structure. Uguccioni remarked that the rectangular structure had a height unproportional to its length…”without the least symmetry or ornamentation and, therefore, I consider [the cathedral] wholly as rough, formless, and unproportional, to which can be added its great darkness, one reason why a multitude of filthy animals infest it, making it uninhabitable and totally indecent.”
Uguccioni proposed for a totally new edifice but budgetary considerations forced him to just restore the old structure with the introduction of the necessary modifications or renovations in conformity with aesthetics. The archbishop consulted the governor general and the Cathedral Chapter on the project. Ultimately, a consensus was reached to pursue with Uguccioni’s proposal.
The 1751 Reconstruction by Fray Juan de Uguccioni
The Manila Cathedral underwent a major transformation under the hands of the Italian architect Juan de Uguccioni and the obrero mayor Don Estevan Roxas y Melo. Don Estevan was a native of Lima , Peru , and was secretary to Archbishop Rodriguez since 1736. After the death of the archbishop, Roxas opted to stay permanently in this colony and was appointed eventually as medio racionero and later as canonigo de gracia in the Cathedral. Because of his talent in the sciences and mathematics, as well as for efficiency in his duties, he was appointed by Archbishop Trinidad as the obrero major of the cathedral reconstruction.
The Cathedral Chapter sought the permission of the governor general to start demolition work in the cathedral so that reconstruction could commence immediately, and for choir and other divine services to be held temporarily in the Church of San Andres of the College of Santa Potenciana . When cathedral services were installed in Santa Potenciana in January of 1751, demolition work on the cathedral immediately began.
With Uguccioni’s design, some old pillars were removed, portions added and improvements implemented. In the report of Uguccioni and Melo on the reconstruction, they cited the following:
“All that have been done in the reconstruction of the Holy Cathedral Church, in its greater and better parts, whichever way considered, in its height, width, or in its pavement, because the old cathedral being not in total proportion has been reduced to a temple to which has been added the transept, and the rear area, which are all new, as also in the rest of the old body of the church which has been enlarged, raising all areas above the keystone of the arches for better clarity between the windows, which before was absent; its ceiling, which was a simple course of wooden planks has been vaulted as in the principal nave, and in the two side naves, and not to forget the cimborrio or media naranja [dome] which has been added for greater beauty, from the demolished wall of the old entrance which has been condemned unserviceable, the portal was reconstructed and widened as can be seen at present, the old flooring has been raised and built to be strong and serviceable; the choir has been relocated, and its appearance is totally different from the old one. The sacristy has been added, with all its adjacent rooms given their present location; the old sacristy, which occupied the area at the back of the cathedral, has been transferred to where it is now, the site of which used to be previously occupied by some poor sacristans. Without the least doubt, from all that has been mentioned, out of the four parts of the church, 3 are new; thus, its figure has been totally changed…”
The reconstructed cathedral was spatially more interesting, with its basic crucifixion plan, semi-circular apse, and additional office annexed to the cathedral church. It retained its basic three-nave plan but this time, the chapels were reduced. A large chapel dedicated to St. Peter was built near the main altar while two smaller ones, dedicated to St. Joseph and Our Lady of Guadalupe were situated at the cathedral’s left side. Wrought iron grilleworks served as screens and entrances to these chapels. Winding staircases dramatically led up to the Chapter hall near the main entrance.
The lead and stained glass of the cathedral were imported from Java. Marble slabs for paving the cathedral’s central nave and the front steps of the choir and presbytery were quarried from Bosoboso where twenty men were hired to cut and hew them. The remaining steps in the presybetery were paved with beautiful piedra china or Chinese granite which a generous patron donated. The cathedral organ was itself assigned to an expert organ maestro, who was the only one in the islands. A new cupola was built at the transept and nave crossing.
The choir area was installed with iron grilles. The central nave was lined with railings to separate it from other areas. Hardwood flooring paved the lateral naves and rear areas. The windows with their stained glass were fixed with wire screens as a means to security. For the exterior, whitewash was applied all over. By 1758, the cathedral’s main body was complete with its interior vaultings, coffered ceilings, and paneled walls.
The Manila Cathedral, which by now closely resembled the Church of Il Gesu in Rome , was inaugurated on December 8, 1760 . it was a pity that Archbishop Trinidad could not witness the rebuilt cathedral as he died in 1755. it was the new archbishop Don Manuel Antonio Rojo, who took possession of the archdiocese on July 22, 1759 , who solemnly blessed and inaugurated the cathedral on December 8, 1760 . The Bishop of Cebu, Miguel Lino de Ezpeleta, showered praises:
“It was admired by everyone who saw it, and more, it is a marvel that all the fabric has been patched and the old has been united with the new, and at first sight, it seems that the work is new…”
Works in the cathedral were temporarily suspended until 1761, when a storm caused damages on the roof, forcing the archbishop to resume work in it.
The British Invasion of 1762
The British invasion in 1762 scarcely caused any damage in the cathedral structure. However, it was deprived of its many treasures when, under threat of death, Archbishop Rojo was forced by the British to hand over its collection of silver and jewels valued at 31,309 pesos.
The structure, however, underwent repairs. Areas which were eaten by termites and other pests were repaired, and the cupola of the cathedral was given a new sheathing of lead in the shape of fish scales. All these works were supervised by Juan de Uguccioni.
Since the Manila Cathedral was reconstructed by Uguccioni and inaugurated n 1760, there had been no significant major alterations or modifications in it, except for some minor repairs and regilding, until another major reconstruction in the middle of the 19tj century. In 1839, repairs were made in the cathedral. Commissioned to perform the repair works, particularly in the dome or cupola of the structure, was Don Francisco de Ojeda. Gilding was made in many areas, in the lamps within the church, the altar major and other auxiliary altars of the cathedral. Such repair and renovation works were supervised by the architect Don Jose Ygnacio de Barinaga. Master carpenter for the works was Don Gaspar Pabalan and the aparejador, or foreman, was Mariano Pabalan. In subsequent years, many repair works were made in the sacristy, roof, cupola, windows, and termite infested areas of the structure.
The Earthquake of 1852
On the night of September 16, 1852 , an earthquake shook, damaged, and destroyed churches and other edifices in Manila , leaving the main façade and other areas of the cathedral in very severe condition. Upon the request of the Cathedral Chapter, the Arquitecto de Hacienda, Juan Mendoza y Grajales, conducted an inspection of the cathedral. In his report of October 6, 1852 , Architect Mendoza cited that the cathedral definitely suffered major damage. Previously unsuspected cracks borne by earlier earthquakes and which before were unnoticeable manifested themselves in the principal nave. The front façade was likewise seriously damaged with its balance seriously affected and lost. Out of the six pear-like ornaments that crowned the façade, two were destroyed, and so much danger was posed by the deteriorated façade which had begun to crumble down.
A year after Grajales’ report, Governor General Antonio de Urbiztondo ordered the Cuerpo de Yngenieros or Corps of Engineers led by its commandant and chief Don Nicolas Valdes and commandant Fernando Fernandez de Cordoba to conduct another inspection of the cathedral since Urbiztondo had lost confidence in Grajales. Grajales had made assurances earlier during a meeting with the Cathedral Chapter that no contingencies were needed since the cathedral (after the 1852 earthquake) did not pose any threat to lives and property. In spite of such assurances, on March 6, 1853 , a cornice from the media naranja or dome of the cathedral fell down, destroying a part of the cathedral roof.
The Cuerpo de Yngenieros made its own examination and came up with an “Estimate of Works” or Presupuesto de las Obras to remedy and reconstruct the areas which suffered damages in the cathedral. Among their proposals were to demolish the façade, which suffered cracks, to be replaced with a more appropriate, elegant, and dignified form, to replace the dome with a new one partially due to its old decaying wooden frame, to restructure the principal nave for better stability and raise it by one meter, to repair the different ceilings of the interior rooms and to renovate the present ceiling of the principal nave with one more majestic with a lovely stone simulation. The crown or roof of the bell tower was to be replaced with one mas gracioso than the earlier. Likewise, the house or chapter hall located between the bell tower and the cathedral was to adopt a new façade, with better circulation and means of ventilation. The estimated cost of work was 45,500 pesos.
By October 1854, bids for the project were submitted. Contractors who joined the bidding for the cathedral renovation and reworks were Don Manuel Asuncion, Don Luciano Oliver who was a renowned architect, Don Antonio Fua, Don Sixto Ejada Obispo, Don Esteban Transfiguracion, and Don Antonio Canals y Llinas, who was the director and owner of the Establecimiento Artistico in Arroceros. Don Sixto Ejada Obispo, who was then the Gobernadorcillo de Mestizos of Binondo and a practicing contractor, won the bidding with the lowest bid price of 45,300 pesos.
The project pushed through with the churches of the Archdiocese of Manila contributing half of their collected sanctorum for the work. Funds were also subsidized by the Obras Pias and the Real Hacienda.
The New Cathedral by Nicolas Valdes
Upon completion, the cathedral was opened to the public on March 31, 1858 . The restored cathedral possessed an entirely new façade. Removed were the pediments and columns framing the side portals and the baroque mouldings framing the high windows over these doorways. Left was a clearer visual space interrupted only by the coupled pilasters that marked each vertical bay. Introduced was a Neoclassic façade, with its architrave and triangular pediment over the main portal. Sculptured figures topped both ends of the main façade’s first level and graced the semi-circular pediment of the upper story. As a whole, the baroque façade of Uguccioni’s cathedral was replaced with a Neoclassic motif.
The Cathedral had a new dome. Uguccioni’s truncated or box-like cupola was dispensed with and replaced with a circular or hemispherical dome composed of brickwork. Raised on a drum, the dome had a balustraded lantern, made out of wood and iron, and a spire capped with a weather vane. Valdes’ corps of engineers also replaced the bell tower’s dome with a lanterned dome and spire.
Many defects were observed in the restored cathedral, among which were the leaks in the cimborrio which dripped down the main altar and the old rotting wood of the roof frame. To correct these defects, the cathedral underwent another restoration, which amounted to 9,000 pesos. In August of 1862, the Cathedral Chapter vacated the cathedral premises so that work could commence immediately. The restored cathedral opened formally again to the flock on March 19, 1863 .
A travel account of an Englishwoman circa 1863, gave a detailed description of the Manila Cathedral, one of the many sites she visited with her husband during their stay in Manila . In it she lucidly noted down her observations of the altar and ornaments in the cathedral:
“On entering, the principal altar presents a most gorgeous spectacle, being apparently one mass of silver, but, on close examination, we found the only portion that was really so was a thin plating which made a dazzling effect. In a frame above are a number of figures symbolical of our Savior’s Crucifixion – the cross, dice, ladder, spears, and garments…but at first glance, they all looked like hieroglyphics on a freemason’s apron.
“There are a number of small chapels, and a very fine dome; but beyond this nothing struck us much, except two very curious pictures. In one, the Virgin Mary was represented standing on a tree in an arbour, with a priest, surrounded by Europeans on one side, and a number of native on the other – all faces presenting an awe struck, wondering expression. The inscription below informed us that this was a miraculous appearance of the Virgin in this island, some hundred years ago, or more. Singular to relate, in the distance a steamer is seen on the sea, smoking and puffing. We thought this accorded strangely with the date – unless, indeed, its appearance there might be accounted for as the effect of another miracle!
“The other picture represented a huge-looking man bearing a little child on his shoulders. Apparently, he is sinking from fatigue, and clings for support to a tree in the middle of the river he is crossing. This is the Roman Catholic saint, Saint Christopher…”
From such curious observation, it can be inferred that the Manila Cathedral was indeed adorned with attractive treasures of art and that certain paintings presented an indigenization of forms which was common during the Spanish colonial period.
The Tragic Earthquake of 1863
On the night of June 3, 1863 , at about half past seven, tragedy struck Manila when a strong earthquake shook its buildings and residents. Many indios and Chinese also died especially those who were in the night market that hour. Many were injured and buried in the tragic ruins that became of the Manila Cathedral and the hospitals of Manila .
The Manila Cathedral became a massive heap of rubble burying members of the Cathedral Chapter and choir boys who were chanting vespers during solemn rites for the celebration of Corpus Christi , as well as an undetermined number of the faithful who attended the rites. It took three days for workers to retrieve the bodies of victims beneath the cathedral ruins. Buried beneath the rubble were:
- Juan Irene Roxas – Maestrescuela
- Pedro Pelaez – Tesorero
- Felix Valenzuela – Magistral
- Casimiro Revilla – Canonigo de Gracia
- Ignacio Ponce de Leon – Racionero
- Clemente Lizala – Medio Racionero
- Feliciano Antonio – Medio Racionero
- Hermogenes Dandan – Primer Sochantre
- Bonifacio del Prado – Segundo Sochantre
- 3 Singers and 4 Choir Boys
Because of the ruined state of the Manila Cathedral, services were transferred temporarily in the small chapel of the Venerable Orden Tercera de San Francisco . Many letters and petitions from different quarters, including one from the Archbishop and another from the arquitecto civil Don Antonio Moraleda, called for the demolition and clearing of the ruins of the cathedral. Moraleda made an estimate for the demolition project which he computed at 41,049 escudos. Moraleda’s call to level the ruins was repeated the following year. Yet, the proposal was put on hold in 1866 only to be renewed in 1868.
On May 12, 1868 , the government architect Vicente Serrano y Salaverri was commissioned to inspect and to undertake a study of the ruins. Serrano’s report dated July 31, 1868 repeated Moraleda’s findings that the cathedral ruins had to be demolished and cleared. On September 5, 1868 , Manuel Ramirez y Bazan prepared an estimate for such work. However, it was only in 1870 that a move to finally pursue demolition and clearing of the remaining walls and ruins of the cathedral was made. Consequently, the restoration of the Metropolitan Cathedral commenced.
An account from a correspondent of the Illustrated News describes the tragic scene in the Manila Cathedral during the disastrous 1863 earthquake:
“I send you a sketch of the interior of the cathedral, taken from a side door. All the priests connected with the Chapter, except the Archbishop and Dean, were chanting the vespers of the Corpus when the shock took place. One escaped by the door which forms the foreground of my sketch; six others were saved under an arch, and made their way out afterwards; the rest of the Canons and choirmasters were buried under the ruins of the opposite side. Many of them were spoken to and recognized by their answers. Attempts were made to supply them with water by means of the broken organ pipes but without effect, and before the masses of masonry could be removed which covered them, they were dead. Under the ruins which you see in my sketch are buried, with a few exceptions, all the people who were in the church at the time of the service—how many is not known. The smell while I was drawing was very offensive, and has since become so strong that the labours which were going on in search of church property had to be suspended. It seems that there is an enormous quantity of diamonds under the ruins of the sanctuary, besides gold and silver plate, which they are trying to get at. The cathedral was surmounted by a large dome of heavy masonry, and you may imagine what a fall that was. One of the priests said that the first shock opened the length of the roof, which as immediately closed up again. The transverse shock which succeeded brought the whole place down.”
The present Manila Cathedral rose phoenix-like from the desolate ruins of the old cathedral, which was bombed mercilessly along with the rest of the Walled City during the Battle of Liberation in 1945. Asserting back its distinction and dignity as Manila’s premier temple and metropolitan seat of the Archdiocese, the present structure emerged in the midst of the pathetic remnants of Intramuros, its open spaces colonized by squatters and its ancient ruins converted into cargo warehouses.
For many years after the war, the shell of the Manila Cathedral stood before the gaze of the statue of Carlos IV in Plaza Roma. The ruins of its famous façade remained. There was the rose window without the colored glass and the three portals with their receding arches and the cathedral’s historical marker.
Manila ’s clergy had thought of transferring the cathedral from its site in Intramuros. In fact, Archbishop Michael J. O’Doherty and Archbishop Gabriel Reyes pondered on the idea of transferring it to Mandaluyong. It was only through the efforts of Archbishop Rufino Santos that the cathedral was able to reign again in its rightful seat. Fortunately, the cathedral ruins were left to stand in place, still untouched by the bulldozers that leveled off most of the ruins of Intramuros. Santiago Picornell, a well-meaning Manila resident who thought of the historic significance of the ruins, talked out the American officer in charge with the clearing of Intramuros from bulldozing the few bits of history that were left of the cathedral. And from these final surviving fragments of once a majestic edifice, famous architect Fernando Ocampo spun a resemblance of the old cathedral’s design carried over to a new one that was to rise from the same ground, from the fresh wound of history in the heart of the Walled City .
Ocampo, though, deliberately avoided duplicating inch by inch the previous design and instead came up with a new and modern cathedral with an appearance similar to its predecessor but with a more functional use of space. Ocampo’s cathedral was made more spatially and visually interesting by its striking Neo-Romanesque façade, Byzantine motifs, bronze doors, pineapple finials, and many other artistic ornamentations. It has a particularly eclectic character, brought about by the mixture of revival, renaissance, and modern styles with a dominantly Marian theme as a tribute to the Immaculate Conception, the cathedral’s titular patroness.
The Manila Cathedral covers an area of almost 3,000 square meters. The present structure has a Latin-cross plan which closely follows the distribution of spaces of the previous cathedral—aisles are separated from the nave by arcaded colonnades, and several chapels flank the nave.
The beauty and wonder of marble as a building material stand out in the Manila Cathedral. The chapels are paved by highly polished Carrara marble prefabricated in Italy . The main altar, which has a two-meter high statue of the Immaculate Conception, is featured with lovely columns built out of green Carrara marble. Paving the rest of the cathedral floor are cream slabs of marble. Marble also found its way in the altars of the side chapels where reliefs and mosaic panels add further decorative accents. Likewise, the pulpit and the Episcopal throne are made out of Italian marble.
Although fashioned after the previous structure, Ocampo’s cathedral is the product of his own creativity and talent, the child of his sensitive appreciation and respect for the older cathedral structure, the design and plan of which he adapted to the postwar period’s modernist trend in architecture. Indeed, the present Manila Cathedral is the product of its own age and time.
The Manila Metropolitan Cathedral was solemnly consecrated on December 7, 1958 before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a tribute to Our Lady under whose guidance and patronage the Cathedral of Manila was able to reign as queen of the Walled City , refuge of Manila ’s denizens, and symbolic seat of the Catholic Church in Manila .
Manila Cathedral as a Center of Happenings
Rousing Welcome to the Philippines’ First Cardinal, Rufino J. Santos Rufino J. Santos was the Philippines ’ first Cardinal. He was given a rousing, unprecedented welcome in the Manila Cathedral where his coat of arms is perpetually emblazoned. During his term as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Manila, there was a flurry of building activities in the archdiocese such as the construction of San Carlos Seminary, Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary, Pius XII Catholic Center , Catholic Charities, St. Paul ’s Hospital, etc. When Cardinal Santos died in 1974, the Manila Cathedral became the site of his funeral wake. Thousands flocked the cathedral to pay their last tribute to the first Filipino Prince of the Church as he lay there for two weeks. He was buried in the grand subterranean crypt of this church, together with his predecessors: Archbishop Michael J. O’Doherty and Archbishop Gabriel Reyes, the first Filipino Archbishop of Manila .
In the 1970s, the most memorable event that brought thousands upon thousands to the mother church of the country was perhaps the visit to the Philippines of Pope Paul VI in November 1970. A marker at the base of the main altar commemorates his pastoral visit in the presence of the ancient venerated image of Nuestra Señora de Guia.
The next Archbishop of Manila came from Aklan—the energetic and witty Jaime Sin] of New Washington—a nephew of the late Archbishop Gabriel Reyes. At the steps of the cathedral, where Manila ’s clergy gathered to make their first encounter with their new pastor, Archbishop Sin declared: “Today Sin is Glorified.”
Three years later, the entire Philippines rose as one to welcome the third Filipino Prince of the Church. Archbishop Sin was the youngest Cardinal in the world, and the cathedral was again host to his reception. His youth and energy were called upon to rehabilitate the St. Paul ’s Hospital and the Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital , which then boasted of expert medical staff and hospital equipment second to none. The St. Joseph the Worker Foundation, Radio Veritas, and various charitable institutions were also to receive much-needed shots in the arm.
The Quadricentennial of the Archdiocese of Manila
With the radical overhauls and improvements undertaken in the latter part of the 1970s, the Manila Cathedral was not caught unaware when a series of important national and international events took place in its hallowed confines. 1979 was the Quadricentennial Year of the Archdiocese, since its creation as a diocese suffragan to Acapulco,Mexico . Jaime Cardinal Sin made the year more memorable by convoking the Fourth Synod of Manila in October. It was marked with grave concern for community affairs and social justice and with the regulation of the liturgy and of the lifestyle of the clergy.
Following the Fourth Synod was the International Mission Congress presided over by Angelo Cardinal Rossi during the opening ceremonies at the cathedral. Then, on December 7, the National Eucharistic Day was celebrated. Finally, the International Law Association, which held its conference in Manila also in December, saw it fit to close its deliberations with a Mass at the cathedral under the auspices of the Catholic Lawyers’ Guild.
Pope John Paul II’s Visit; Beatification of Lorenzo Ruiz
Undoubtedly, one of the most significant religious events in the Philippine ecclesiastical history was the beatification of the first Filipino martyr Lorenzo Ruiz on the occasion of the visit of Pope John Paul II to the Philippines in February 1981. The much-loved Pope came amidst cheers of Totus Tuus from the crowd to celebrate his first Mass on Philippine soil at the Manila Metropolitan Cathedral. Shortly thereafter, he told Cardinal Sin that he wanted the cathedral to be a Basilica.
The cathedral is also the resting place for former prelates who served the Archdiocese of Manila. Among those interred in the cathedral crypts (similar in style to that of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City are Michael J. O'Doherty, the last American and foreigner Archbishop of Manila, Rufino Jiao Santos, the first Filipino cardinal, Gabriel Reyes, the first Filipino archbishop of Manila and Cardinal Jaime Sin, the prelate who is considered to be one of the leaders of the EDSA Revolution in the Philippines that ended the 20-year regime of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos.
The UST logo
The UST 400 founding anniversary logo
The Present Main Building
Replica of the Arch of the Centuries
The Old UST
Replica of Fr.Miguel Benavides Monument in Intramuros
