Manila Cathedral

The cathedral in 1792, by Fernando Brambila

The cathedral was originally the "church of Manila" officially established in 1571 by a secular priest, Fray Juan de Vivero, who arrived in Manila Bay in 1566.[5] De Vivero, the chaplain on the galleon of San Gerónimo, was sent by the Archbishop of Mexico, Alonso de Montúfar, to establish Christianity as the spiritual and religious administration in newly colonized Philippines. De Vivero later became the vicar-general and the first ecclesiastical judge of the city of Manila.

Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi chose the location of the church and placed it under the patronage of Santa Potenciana. The first parish priest of the church was Fray Juan de Villanueva.[6]

When the church was elevated to a cathedral in 1579 (coinciding with the canonical erection of the Diocese of Manila), a new structure made from nipa, wood, and bamboo was constructed in 1581 by Domingo de Salazar, the first-ever bishop of Manila. The new structure was consecrated on December 21, 1581; formally becoming a cathedral. The structure was destroyed by fire in 1583, which started during the funeral Mass for Governor-General Gonzalo Ronquillo de Peñalosa in San Agustin Church that razed much of the city.[2] The second cathedral, which was made of stone, was built in 1592. However, it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1600.

The collapsed belfry after the 1880 earthquake

Construction of the third cathedral began in 1614. The new structure, consisting of three naves and seven chapels, was blessed in 1614. It again toppled by another earthquake which shook Manila in 1645.

The fourth cathedral was constructed from 1654 to 1671. In 1750, a media naranja ("half orange") dome was added to the crossing by the Florentine friar Juan de Uguccioni, who also introduced a transept to the structure.[7] It was severely damaged in 1863 by a very strong earthquake, that also damaged the palace of the governor general of the Philippines. The seventh cathedral was constructed from 1870 to 1879. It was solemnly consecrated in December 1879. The cross atop the central dome is a reference point of astronomical longitudes of the archipelago. In 1880, another earthquake toppled its bell tower, rendering the cathedral towerless until 1958.

Aerial view of the cathedral (center), 1936

In 1937, the International Eucharistic Congress was held in the Philippines in which the cathedral played an integral part in promoting eucharistic beliefs. Both a cathedral stamp and medal were unveiled in commemoration of the event and was made by the official manufacturer of medals for the Congress of the Philippines at the time, the sculptor Críspulo Zamora.[8]

The cathedral before destruction in 1945

Cathedral ruins after destruction

This incarnation of the cathedral was reduced to rubble by the Japanese in a scorched-earth defense in 1945 during the Battle of Manila, as the Second World War neared its conclusion.[9]

The cathedral's present incarnation was constructed from 1954 to 1958 under Most Rev. Rufino J. Cardinal Santos, DD; and under the supervision of the notable Kapampangan architect Fernando H. Ocampo.

Pope Paul VI made an apostolic visit and celebrated Mass in the cathedral in 1970. Pope John Paul II issued a papal bull Quod Ipsum on April 27, 1981; elevating the shrine to a minor basilica through his own Motu Proprio.[4] In the same papal bull, he reiterated that Pope Paul VI's papal decree of June 6, 1968 be eternally preserved and enforced to the merits and titles of the cathedral as its own basilica.[10][11]

The cathedral in 2021

The cathedral's 50th restoration anniversary was celebrated in 2008, highlighted by the second Manila Cathedral Pipe Organ Festival from December 2 to 10, organized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines.[12]

In February 2011, the cathedral's bells were moved to the ground level to prevent the bell tower from collapsing, as had occurred in past earthquakes. In January 2012, the bells were replaced with new ones personally cast by blacksmith Friedrich Wilhelm Schilling from Heidelberg, Germany in 1958. According to the new marker installed by Manila Archbishop Most Rev. Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales, DD, the newly installed bells are the largest bells actively used in the Philippines. A total of seven carillon bells were permanently installed in the ground level of the belfry, weighing at 17 metric tons (17 long tons).[lower-alpha 1]

2012 renovation and 2014 reopening

Reliquary-calendar with fragment bone of St. Caesarius of Terracina, deacon and martyr, Manila Cathedral. In photo, cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle next the new icon of Saint Caesarius.

The cathedral underwent repairs for earthquake retrofitting and subsidence prevention in 2012.[13][14][15] During this time, the San Fernando de Dilao Church was designated as the temporary official church (pro-cathedral) of the Archdiocese of Manila.[16] However, Msgr. Nestor Cerbo stated that the cathedral would finish its renovations on 25 March 2014. Some added features and changes include the installation of CCTV cameras, large flat screen television screens (similar to those found in Baclaran Church), improved audio-video systems, and improved interior and exterior LED lightings.[17] The cathedral completed its restoration on the said date and was reopened to the general public on 9 April 2014 after two years of renovation. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle presided a Holy Mass, after the reopening of the cathedral, attended by President Benigno Aquino III.[18][19]

In the baptistery of Saint John the Baptist, at the left side of the vestibule from the side entrance, is preserved a reliquary-calendar containing 365 relics of the saints; at the 1st of November there is a bone fragment of Saint Caesarius of Terracina, the saint protectors of the emperors, who replaced and Christianized the cult of Julius Caesar.

Pontifical visit (2015)

Main article: Pope Francis's visit to the Philippines

On 16 January 2015, Pope Francis celebrated his first Papal Mass in the country at the cathedral as part of his apostolic visit to the Philippines. The mass was celebrated for the bishops, priests, and the clergy in three languages: Latin, English, and Filipino.

Panorama of the cathedral interior

A bronze life-sized polychrome statue of the Immaculate Conception by Italian artist Vincenzo Assenza (1915–1981), located above the high altar. Consecrated by Pope Pius XII's Papal Bull Impositi Nobis in 1942, the Virgin Mary under this title is honoured as the Principal Patroness of the country.

• Pope Gregory XIII in 1581 issued a papal bull consecrating the cathedral building to The Purest and Immaculate Conception of Mary,[2] while Miguel López de Legazpi consecrated the city of Manila to Saint Potenciana.

• Pope Pius XII in 12 September 1942 reiterated this patronage for the Filipino people to La Purísima Inmaculada Concepción through the papal bull Impositi Nobis, while Saint Rose of Lima and Saint Potenciana remained as the secondary patronesses of the Filipino people.[20] The same Pontiff through “Quidquid ad Dilatandum” reiterated this declaration of patronage on 16 July 1958 through the chancellor of apostolic briefs, Gildo Brugnola, who signed and executed the decree.

• Artemio Gabriel Casas, (1956–1962)
• Jose C. Abriol, P.A. (1962–1975)
• Augusto Pedrosa, H.P. (1975–1985)
• Domingo A. Cirilos Jr., P.C. (1985–1996)
• Hernando M. Coronel, P.C. (1996–2002)
• Nestor C. Cerbo, P.C. (2002–2015)
• Reginald R. Malicdem, (1 July 2015 – present)

The cathedral crypt is the resting place for former archbishops of Manila and a few other prelates:

• Michael J. O'Doherty, the last foreign archbishop of Manila
• Gabriel M. Reyes, the first Filipino archbishop of Manila
• Rufino J. Cardinal Santos, the first Filipino cardinal
• Jaime L. Cardinal Sin, a prominent leader of the 1986 People Power Revolution
• Dom Ambrose Agius, bishop and Apostolic Delegate to the Philippines (until 1945; remains transferred to the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, Mendiola Street, Manila)

Two former presidents were permitted to lie in state under the cathedral dome:

• Carlos P. Garcia, 8th president of the Philippines (1957–1961) (d. 1971)
• Corazon C. Aquino, 11th president of the Philippines (1986–1992) (d. 2009)

President Garcia was the first layman to lie-in-state and have his Requiem Mass said at the cathedral; President Aquino was only the second layperson and the first woman given this honour during her funeral. This broke with centuries of tradition that reserved the right of lying-in-state beneath the dome to archbishops of Manila.[21]

Mosaic at the cathedral's Crypt Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows. The Latin text at the bottom, Vos omnes oui transitis per viam attendite et vidette si est dolor sicut dolor meus. (O all you who walk by on the road, pay attention and see: if there be any sorrow like my sorrow.), was taken from the Book of Lamentations 1:12.

Inscription on the tympanum of the main portal.

The northwest façade is a replica of the façade of the previous cathedral, along with statues of famous saints sculpted in Roman travertine stone. Several of the artworks inside the basilica were made by Italian artists. In the previous cathedral, they were originally made of molave wood. The statue of Saint Rose of Lima was sculpted by Angelo Fattinanzi; Saint Jacob, Saint Andrew, and Saint Anthony the Abbot by Livia Papini; and Saint Francis Xavier and Saint Polycarp by Alcide Tico.[22]

The tympanum above the central northwest doors bears the Latin inscription Tibi cordi tuo immaculato concredimus nos ac consecramus (English: "To thy Immaculate Heart, entrust us and consecrate us").

The papal arms were added in 1981 to signify the cathedral's status as a basilica.

Since Pope John Paul II's apostolic visit to the basilica in 1981, a medallion bearing the papal arms has been placed beneath the cross of the façade. The scarlet galeros of Cardinals Rufino Santos and Jaime Sin are also suspended from the ceiling of the dome. In addition, a copy of the Saint Peter Enthroned statue of St. Peter's Basilica is enshrined inside, across a polychrome life-sized statue of the Immaculate Conception.

Prior to 1988, the bronze statue of the Immaculate Conception in the main altar, by national Italian sculptor Vincenzo Assenza, was painted gold until 1988 (though the twelve star halo-aureola is solid gold).[23][24] Inscribed on the baldachin above the statue of the Immaculate Conception is the Latin antiphon Tota pulchra es, Maria, et macula originalis non est in Te (English: "Thou art all-beautiful, Mary, and the original stain [spot] (of sin) is not in thee.").

The baptismal font and angel-shaped holy water fonts are also made of solid bronze by Publio Morbiducci; the prominent mosaic of Saint Jude Thaddeus was made by Marcello Mazzoli. The 134 modern stained glass windows were made in 1964 by Filipino artist Galo Ocampo. The window set, which was a programme of Marian themes, was commissioned and funded by Cardinal Santos.

The artistic designs of the stained glass windows of the Manila Cathedral are mostly products of the creative genius of Ocampo, one of the most versatile contemporary Filipino artists during his time and a recipient of the 1964 Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award from the city government of Manila.[25]

The marble floors on the center aisle near the altar bears the coat of arms of four cardinal archbishops of Manila: Rufino Santos, Jaime Sin, Gaudencio Rosales, and Luis Antonio Tagle.

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  Façade
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  Façade with dome
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  The cathedral in 1899
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  The cathedral with the Charles IV monument
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  The patinated dome surmounted by a four-armed cross
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  The central nave, looking down from the sanctuary
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  The rib vaults of the three naves
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  The clerestory
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  The cathedra, newer high altar, pulpit, and altar rail
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  The sanctuary during a wedding, with the older high altar and image of the Immaculate Conception under the ciborium at the back
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  The high altar, with the image of the Immaculate Conception veiled for Holy Week
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  Iron reja
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  The marble steps and columns of the older high altar
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  Interior of the dome, with the suspended galero of Cardinal Sin
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  Façade at night

• Manila Cathedral-Basilica Re-Opening (April 9, 2014 Eucharist after Restoration and Retrofitting)
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila
• Roman Catholicism in the Philippines
• San Agustin Church
• Intramuros

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Manila Cathedral.

• Official website of Manila Cathedral