HISTORY

The C hurc h bef ore it beca me a Cat he dra l : 1571

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 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.
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.
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 .

The First Ca the dral 1581 - 1583

As Spain firmly established herself in the new colony through the succeeding years, so did the Church which
witnessed the creation of the Diocese of Manila. On February 6, 1579, Pope Gregory XIII issued in Rome the
Papal Bull establishing the Bishopric or the Diocese of Manila, suffragan to the Archbishopric of Mexico. (A copy
of this Bull is kept at the Archdiocesan Archives of Manila). The discrepancy as to the exact year of creation of the
diocese – whether 1578, as indicated in the copy of the bull, or 1579 – arose because in he late 15 th century, the
Julian system of reckoning days within the calendar was questioned until the Gregorian calendar was adopted.
The church of Manila was raised to the rank of cathedral under the title of “Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.” The cathedral was to be under a bishop who would look after the appropriate enlargement of its
building and restoration into a cathedral church.
In the same year, Fray Domingo de Salazar, a Dominican religious from the Convent of San Esteban in
Salamanca, Spain, was presented by King Philip II of Spain to the Pope for the position of Bishop of the Diocese
of Manila. A year after, in May of 1580, he left for his new assignment by way of Mexico, bringing with him thirty
fellow Dominicans, many of whom died or fell ill during and after the voyage to Mexico. Only one co-religious and
six other secular priests were able to accompany him to Manila where he would reign as first bishop of the diocese.
Meanwhile, the Spanish monarchy was making preparations for the construction of the new cathedral in Manila.
On May 13, 1579, a Royal Cedula from the Spanish king mandated the governor general of the Philippines to
construct a moderately ample cathedral on a convenient site, the expenses of which were to be divided among
the natives, Royal Treasury, and the encomenderos. Another Royal Cedula of the same date ordered the Casa
de Contratacion or Office of Contracts and Agreements to give the city of Manila 15 ducats, worth 187,000
maravedis, intended for ornaments, chalices, and other essentials which the cathedral would require. On May 22,
1579, part of the tithes belonging to the king during a period of ten years was given for the construction of the
Manila Cathedral. With such amount and support, the construction of the cathedral began. This support from the
monarchy continued until the 18 th century when the cathedral, a victim of natural disasters and time, underwent
repairs and reconstructions.
Bishop Domingo de Salazar and his surviving companions, the Dominican Fray Cristobal de Salvatierra and six
secular priests – Diego Vasquez de Mercado, Martin de Ribera, Francisco de Morales, Geronimo Vasquez,
Santiago de Castro, and Francisco de Pareja – left Acapulco on March 29, 1581 aboard the galleon San Martin.
They were accompanied by six Franciscan friars under Fr. Antonio de Villanueva, a good number of Augustinians
under Fr. Juan Pimentel, and three Jesuits with their rector Fr. Antonio Sedeño. In August of 1581, they finally
reached the Ladrones islands, and days after reached Samar and then the Bicol peninsula where the San Martin
took refuge in the bay of Ibalon due to very bad weather. From there, Salazar went by land crossing the Bicol area
and reached Laguna de Bay after trekking the Sierra Madre mountains. By boat, he finally reached Manila by way
of the river Pasig on September 17, 1581.
On September 21, 1581, with full pontifical and royal authority, Bishop Salazar created the act to erect and found
the new Cathedral of Manila under the advocation of the Immaculate Conception, the original titular patroness of
the old parochial church. He then proceeded to build a cathedral to replace the old parish church.
The first Cathedral of Manila was constructed by Fray Bishop Domingo de Salazar out of wood, bamboo, and nipa
– materials which were used in all houses and other basic community services in the city. It was on December 21,
1581 that the parish church of Manila was raised formally into a cathedral.

The Establishment of Cathedral Dignities, Canonries, and Prebend

As Bishop of Manila, Salazar possessed the exclusive right to erect and establish dignities, canonries, prebends,
and other ecclesiastical benefices. He created the positions of dean, archdeacon, chanter, school master,
treasurer, ten canonries and prebends, six whole portiones (raciones), and six half portiones (medios raciones),
rectors, six acolytes, six chaplains, sacristan, organist, beadle, econome, chancellor or notary of the church
chapter, and dog catcher.
However, the initial state of incomes and revenues of the cathedral was not sufficient to support the entire number
of positions created. Thus, only the first five dignitaries, ten canonries, and six whole and six half portiones were
declared established for the service of the cathedral. It was also resolved that the cleric of the church and diocese
with the first tonsure should enjoy his privilege. He should carry the clerical tonsure the size of one silver real. The
hair at the back of his head should be worn clipped with scissors two fingers’ breadth below the ears. He should
go about decently dressed with a cloak or mantilla which must not be of red or yellow but of a more somber color.
When the cathedral was erected, Bishop Salazar created four prebends: Don Diego Vasquez de Mercado as
dean, Don Francisco de Morales as precentor, and Don Francisco de Pareja and Don Gonzalo del Castillo as
canons. Diego Vasquez de Mercado later became the Bishop of Yucatan and the fourth Archbishop of Manila. In
1583, Don Juan de Vivero was appointed as its first treasurer and later, in 1585, was promoted as its first
archdeacon. Its first school master was Gabriel de la Cruz appointed in 1583.

T h e F i r s t S yn o d o f M a n i l a
Under Bishop Domingo de Salazar, the first synod of Manila was held in 1582 where 90 ecclesiastical and religious
persons and six captains or heads, who were the oldest and most eminent, attended. The sessions lasted until
1586 holding a duration of four years. The Sinodo de Manila of 1582 was the first synod ever held in the Philippines.
In it, matters relating to the governance of the new colonial territory were discussed. Among the subjects
deliberated upon were the teaching of catechism in the native dialect and the declaration of human rights of both
native Christians and non-Christians.

The Fire of 1583

The Cathedral church was destroyed in 1583 by a fire which razed the city. During the funeral mass for Governor
General Gonzalo Ronquillo de Peñalosa at San Agustin Church, a candle fell on the catafalque, burning it and the
church. The flames spread all over Manila, destroying many houses and structures of the same simple materials.
Along with the Cathedral of Manila, the Bishop’s palace was destroyed including all important church papers and
records, and the proceedings of the first Synod held in the Philippines. The cathedral was rebuilt using the same
materials of nipa, bamboo, and wood.
In the Junta Universal de Manila of 1586, the cathedral was severely criticized as too shoddy a structure for its
stature. It was described to be “of wood and thatch, so poor, so disorganized and deprived, a dishonor and an
impairment to our faith and Christian religion and to our Republic and to the leaders who govern it.”
On January 20, 1587, the Spanish monarch issued a royal decree ordering the Governor General Santiago de
Vera to construct a new edifice for the cathedral. However, the simple structure then constructed lasted only until
June 15, 1588 when a hurricane destroyed it with the majority of the houses in Manila.
On June 31, 1588, a letter from the city of Manila provided for 3,000 pesos, divided among the local residents, the
natives and the Real Hacienda, to be spent for the wall foundations of the cathedral church which, by that time,
were already 2 brazas in height. Although this sum was considered insufficient to bring the walls to the necessary
height, it was a welcome support.
Meantime, Gomez Perez Dasmariñas was appointed the new governor of the colony. Upon his arrival in the islands
in May of 1590, Dasmariñas immediately set upon to fulfill the orders of the letter. He divided 12,000 ducats in
three parts, as was the custom, at the rate of 3,000 annuities for a period of four years. Upon passing by Nueva
España, as he was ordered, he obtained 2,000 ducats from the Royal Treasury there as advance contribution of
the Real Hacienda. With such capital, the construction of a stone cathedral was to take effect.

The Sec ond Cat he dral 1591 - 1600

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

T h e E l e v a t i o n o f M a n i l a a s Ar c h d i o c e s e : 1 5 9 5
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.

T h e F i r s t Ar c h b i s h o p : F r a y I g n a c i o d e S a n t i b a ñ e z
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.

The Thi r d Cathe dral 1614 - 1645

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 Chapel.

The Fourt h Cat he dral 1681 - 1751

R e c o n s t r u c t i o n u n d e r Ar c h b i s h o p P o b l e t e
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 inattendance. 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."
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.
“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.”
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 Rodrig uez

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 a nd 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.

The Fift h Cat he dral 1760 - 1852

U n d e r Ar c h b i s h o p P e d r o d e l a S a n t i s i m a T r i n i d a d
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.

T h e B r i t i s h I n va s i o n o f 1 7 6 2
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.

The Sixt h Cathe dral 1858 - 1863

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 Se ve nt h C at he dral 1879 - 1945

On April 13, 1870, Governor Carlos Maria de la Torre issued a directive giving the necessary authorization to
begin the leveling of the cathedral ruins and empowering the eccelesiastical governor, Mateo Yague y Mateos, in
the absence of Archbishop Gregorio Meliton Martinez who was attending the Concilia Vaticano in Rome, to
designate the Arquitecto de la Administracion Local, Don Luciano Oliver, to be the dor director of works for the
cathedral reconstruction. Yague was also authorized to arbitrate for the necessary funds for the project, to send
out circulars calling on those who would want to donate and to open a subscription from persons willing to support
the monthly salaries of workers to be hired in the cleaning and clearing of the ruins and in the reconstruction
phase.
On April 18, 1870, during solemn rites in the Church of Santo Domingo, an eloquent discourse on the cathedral
brought out the desired reaction from the faithful who pledged to pay for the
daily wages of the laborers employed in the reconstruction. In the morning of the following day, April 19, work on
the leveling of the ruined cathedral commenced. Present to witness the first phase of the cathedral project were
Governor de la Torre, Yague y Mateos, cathedral canons, the parish priest of San Pedro ( Makati ), Luciano Oliver,
government officials, and other guests.
For the proper disposal of the debris, Yague coordinated with the Cuerpo de Yngenieros which decided to dump
the debris in the site of the fortification called El Pastel, of Santa Lucia, and in several points of the beach within
the military zone of Manila. For such work, Yague requested for 30 carritones to be available on hand at the gates
of Santa Lucia and Postigo to carry the rubble, and another additional 20 more at a site which the governor general
pleased. Among the cathedral rubble were human remains and relics which were separated and turned over to
the Archbishop’s palace upon Oliver’s discretion. Among such relics were the mortal remains of Simon de Anda,
gallant hero during the British invasion and occupation of Manila.
The clearing of debris and rubble lasted for 56 days at a total cost of 3,000 pesos. After this, Don Luciano Oliver
presented his proposed plan for the cathedral. Oliver was chosen primarily because he was considered to be the
best architect around, with his record of twenty-two years of designing and building structures in the colony, among
which were the churches of Taal, Tayabas, Malolos, Navotas, Caloocan, and Malate, and other houses which he
built to especially withstand earthquakes.
On June 15, 1870, Governor de la Torre issued an ordinance creating the Junta Consultativa para los
Restauraciones de las Yglesias or Consultative Committee for the Restoration of Churches. Formed specifically
to restore Intramuros churches, the committee would assist in the restoration of the Manila Cathedral. The Junta
had the governor general for its president, the dean of the cathedral for vice president, and the penitenciario,
magistral, doctoral, a racionero, and a secretary as members.
The Inspection General de Obras Publicas also proposed to the governor general the creation of a facultative
commission, as ordered by the Royal Orders of August 10 and October 19, 1863, that will take charge of the
reconstruction of buildings destroyed by the earthquake. It was composed of Luciano Oliver as head with two
others as members. Its aim was to meet with the ecclesiastical governor and obtain from him the program of the
cathedral regarding the necessary requirements for the new edifice; to assess and examine the cathedral and
determine which areas needed to be demolished and preserved; and to propose the most scientific, artistic, and
economical method of construction best suitable for the reconstruction. The committee fulfilled its objectives but
Oliver was not able to make a proper project presentation for some reasons. Since the Inspeccion General de
Obras Publicas could not give its stamp of approval without any formal project proposal, it proposed on March 8,
1871, to suspend all works on the cathedral. The suspension took effect on May 26, 1871 by virtue of Royal Order
No. 396.
On July 29, 1871, Governor General Rafael Izquierdo ordered for a reassessment of the works executed in the
cathedral and to determine which could be completed, so that in a span of two months, the cathedral could be
protected from the coming rainy season, until such time the formal project proposal could be approved and
reconstruction work could commence again. However, Don Luciano Oliver could not continue to work on the
project, and on October 3, 1871, he renounced his position as director.

R e s t o r a t i o n u n d e r Ar c h b i s h o p M e l i t o n M a r t i n e z
With the arrival from Rome of Archbishop Meliton Martinez, membership of the Junta or the cathedral restoration
committee was modified by the Superior Decree of September 12, 1871. The new members would be composed
of the entire Cabildo under the presidency of the archbishop.
The Junta met to elect and assign a new architect for the project. On October 23, 1871, Don Vicente Serrano y
Salaverri was named officially as the new director of the project. On April 20, 1872, Serrano presented the memoria
y planos, proposal and plans, of the reconstruction project. In the said proposal, modifications were made in the
buttresses and framework of the roof. The same, with some modification by the Junta Consultativa de Obras
Publicas, was approved by virtue of the Royal Order of August 6, 1872.
The following were the modifications in Serrano’s proposal. Instead of the iron columns specified by Serrano,
columns of molave to be sheathed with iron would be used. The zocalos of granite stone would be replaced by
zocalos of Meycauayan stone. All other specifications made by Serrano were approved.
In May of 1873, the final plans for the project were elevated to the Minister of Overseas with favorable
recommendation from the Junta de Obras Publicas. It was approved by the Spanish Academia de Nobles artes
de San Fernando and ultimately by the Supreme Government on December 13, 1873 by virtue of the Supreme
Order No. 1686. Construction of the new cathedral commenced immediately thereafter.

C o n s t r u c t i o n u n d e r Ar c h b i s h o p P a yo
Archbishop Pedro Payo worked with so much zeal and tireless activity for the cathedral so that he was able to
obtain easily the necessary funds required to complete the structure. He even donated part of his own wealth to
several works in the Manila Cathedral among which were the construction of the main altar, the image of the
Immaculate Conception, the organ, and the reboque and painting of the bell tower.
Failing health forced Serrano to resign from his job as director of the cathedral reconstruction, so that he was
replaced on October 31, 1873 by Eduardo Lopez Navarro, who was chief engineer of roads, canals, and ports in
the colony. Serrano died a short while after Navarro replaced him. Engineer Navarro continued to direct the work
until April 10, 1878 when he had to leave for Spain to recover his health. Taking over from Navarro was Manuel
Ramirez y Bazan, who was inspector general of public works, and who was assisted by Ramon Hermosa. Navarro
and Ramirez did not change Serrano’s design. They retained the basic essence and architectural character of the
cathedral as planned and envisioned by Serrano.
The new Manila Cathedral was inaugurated during a two-day festivity with solemn rites. On December 7, 1879,
the Manila Cathedral was blessed and consecrated by Archbishop Payo. He blessed the exterior and interior of
the cathedral. Afterwards, the relics of two martyrs, San Victor and San Lorenzo, were brought to be kept in the
cathedral’s Chapel of St. Peter. Then, the first mass to be celebrated in the new cathedral was officiated by the
Bishop of Jaro. The following day, feast of the Immaculate Conception, titular patroness of the Archdiocese of
Manila, saw the formal opening of the cathedral. Much revelry and merrymaking, with fireworks and music,
accompanied the feastday and the cathedral’s inauguration, sixteen years after it was destroyed by the 1863
earthquake.

Serrano’s Legacy – The 1879 Manila Cathedral

The cathedral rose once again to become the city’s premier temple. The Revival Styles, which swept the circles
of art and architecture in Europe, made its impact in the Manila Cathedral when Architect Serrano employed a
style dentro del mismo estilo romano bizantino pero con mas gusto Oriental como satisfaccion a las exigencias
de lugar -after the Romanesque-Byzantine style but with more oriental flavor satisfying the exigencies of the site.
What evolved was an eclecticism combining and reviving the two styles, with much influence too from the
Renaissance.
The cathedral had the three main portals with receding arches and a giant rose window over it. In the main façade
were large statues of the four evangelists, while sculptured figures of saints Peter and Paul graced the cornice
above the main portal. Angels with a cross cap the cornice of the uppermost level of the cathedral’s main façade.
Antefixae adorned the cornices while the roof ridge was ornamented with delicate wrought iron railing. A dome
raised on a fenestrated drum marked the nave and transept crossing of the cathedral. Finials with pineapple motifs
found their way as ornaments in the façade walls.
The cathedral was cruciform in plan, with a central nave and two collateral ones. Arcaded colonnades separated
the central nave from the other tow. It had a raised main altar, a semi-circular apse, and transept ends which follow
the same semi-circular pattern. At the epistle side of the main altar was a rectangular room with a hemispherical
ceiling assigned to be the Chapel of St. Peter. Two other large chapels, which belonged to the Parroquia de
Intramuros or what had been the Parroquia del Sagrario were connected to the nave by the same ceiling. Although
highly modified, these areas were parts of the old cathedral which had been preserved. The new plan of the
cathedral did not deviate much from the plan of the previous one in terms of distribution of spaces.
Major access ways to the cathedral were nine: three in the façade, one at each lateral side, one at each transept
end, and two in the apse. Four minor entrances, which were those leading to the Chapel of St. Peter and the other
auxiliary areas of the cathedral, made up a total of thirteen entrances to the structure.
The interior of the cathedral was richly ornamented, with gildings, sculptures, and frescoes. The Italian artist
Giovanni Dibella executed the paintings in the nave and dome. The study of the four evangelists painted in the
dome were by the director of the Academia del Dibuhos, Señor Agustin Saez and executed by Dibella. The
paintings in the chapels were done by native artists.
Illuminating the nave were tall clerestory windows with their stained glass panes providing a rich and colorful
luminosity in the cathedral. The side chapels were illuminated by large ojos de buey or ox-eye windows.
The church had a spacious and raised nave, with the choir area located at the center of the nave. The nave
columns and pilasters were tall and slender and raised on granite bases. The arches were majestic and highly
ornamented. Its elevated dome was raised on an octagonal drum, each face of which had three tall windows.
The choir had benches and a finely wrought railing. Six seats of honor under the baldachino were imported from
Paris, while the rest of molave were sculpted by the famous Manila artist Isabelo Tampingco who also did some
of the ornamental details in the church like the wooden capitals of the nave columns.
The image of the Immaculate Conception, which was a copy of the Spanish painter Bartolome Esteban Murillo’s
work, was executed in Manila by Señor Juan Sales, a Filipino.
The main altar had a lovely marble table and was raised by a series of steps made from the same material. Both
were the works of Rodoreda.
The building materials used for the cathedral were varied. Granite was used for bases, walks, pavements, and
steps. Meycauayan stone was used for the exterior walls while volcanic stones from Guadalupe were utilized for
the interiors. Bricks were used for the upper level of the main façade and for the arches. Iron was used for wrought
and consolidation works. Galvanized iron found their way in the roofs over the nave and apse. Red copper plates
covered the dome. Gutters were of lead and ornamental crests were of zinc. Mortar used for the building was
reinforced with Portland cement. Native hardwood, like molave, were also used for structural framework.

The Secularization Issue and the Execution of Gomburza

The Manila Cathedral was witness to the movement to Filipinize parishes and to the tragic aftermath of its
persecution. The issue of secularization in the Philippines had long been a source of conflict among the religious
regulars and church seculars. Among those who advocated strongly for the rights of the secular clergy were
Fathers Pedro Pelaez of the Manila Cathedral and Mariano Gomez of Cavite.
A few years later, on January 20, 1872, a mutiny broke out at the Cavite Arsenal over the unreasonable deductions
in the salaries of the arsenal workers due to Gov. Gen. Izquierdo’s new tax imposition. Sympathizers for the
workers mutineed that night causing the death of Sgt. La Madrid, the mutiny leader, and the fort commander whose
wife was also injured.
The Spanish authorities used this incident as an excuse to implicate those who were advocating religious reforms
by connecting them to a separatist conspiracy.
Thus, the government arrested Fr. Gomez, along with the outspoken advocate of secularization, Fr. Jose Burgos,
a young doctor of canon law, and Fr. Jacinto Zamora. They were healed to a one-sided trial and publicly executed
by mechanical strangulation at Bagumbayan on February 17, 1872.
Archbishop Meliton Martinez, bothered by the unrest among the seculars over the usurpation of the parishes by
the regulars, wrote in 1870 to Marshal Francisco Serrano, who was regent of Spain, reporting:
“The tranquility of his diocese…was frequently disturbed as a result of the practice…of turning over curacies
administered by the secular clergy to the religious corporations. This policy is the cause of ever growing enmity
which is becoming more and more manifest between seculars and regulars, and which sooner or later, may bring
lamentable results to our beloved Spain.”
Archbishop Meliton Martinez privately sympathized with the struggle of the Filipino clergy. Although he threatened
the three priests with excommunication in his pastoral letter, he refused to defrock them as requested by the
governor general. Instead he even ordered the tolling of the bells of the churches of manila as a funeral dirge for
the three martyr priests whom he saw as mere scapegoats against the rising tide of Filipino nationalism.
In keeping with the treatment of the enemies of the state, the corpses of the three Filipino priests were clandestinely
taken to the Paco cemetery and were dumped in a common unmarked grave.

The Earthquake of 1880

In 1880, the cathedral fell victim again to another earthquake. Its bell tower which survived the 1863 earthquake
crumbled to the ground and a makeshift one of wood replaced it. the dome underwent repairs after this incident.
However, the cathedral would remain without a bell tower for many eyras, in spite of plans and proposals to have
it restored, until its merciless destruction by war in the middle of the twentieth century.

The Late 19th Century

The closing of the nineteenth century were turbulent ones, not only for the Church but also for the entire colony.
The Philippine Revolution of 1896 and the Filipino-American War, 1898-1902, saw the transition of colonial power
from Spain to the United States. During these periods, Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda opened the cathedral
doors to the Spanish soldiers who sought refuge from the enemy and to the invading American troops who
converted it in 1898 into a hospital for wounded American soldiers.
The Catholic Church would experience trials again with the shift in colonial power. The Cathedral of Manila
witnessed the transfer of leadership of the archdiocese to the American secular clergy. Despite the strong foothold
that Protestantism and the Aglipayan Church gained during the early years of the twentieth century, the Catholic
Church would remain steadfast and strong as the Archdiocese of Manila had been.
The First Half of the 20th Century
As the twentieth century unfolded, a whole new ear dawned for the Archdiocese and Cathedral of Manila. The few
years of this century saw the last Spanish prelate of Manila Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda holding on to the
reins of the Catholic hierarchy. Associated with the told and detested system of frailocracy in Spanish colonial
Philippines, Nozaleda easily earned the reputation as one of the most unpopular archbishops in the history of the
colony. The Philippine Revolution marked the reversal of fortune for Spain and the religious who were portrayed
and considered by not only a few as the villain in the colony’s history of servitude, abuse, and oppression.
During this period the secular clergy gained possession of the parishes which were once the domain of the
regulars. It was the time when the delicate issue of friar lands became a ground for debate. It witnessed the rift
and final schism between Gregorio Aglipay, a secular priest and vicar-general in the Philippine revolutionary army
of Emilio Aguinaldo, and the Catholic Church. The Union Obrero Democratica of Isabelo de los Reyes, a famous
propagandist and labor leader, proclaimed the creation of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente in August of 1902
when their clamor to oust all the Spanish friars from the country and their desire to organize a new nationalist and
patriotic Church composed of Filipinos, but still under the authority of the Pope, were denied by the Vatican.
Aglipay accepted the leadership of the newly created Church as Obispo maximo. Catholic morale was at its lowest
when the tide of Protestantism unrestrictedly washed through and seeped through the colony with the coming of
the Americans, as part of their concepts of Manifest Destiny and Benevolent Assimilation.
With the end of Nozaleda’s term as prelate of the See of Manila in 1903, the American secular Jeremias Harty
took over the administration of the Manila archdiocese’s Catholic faithful, signifying an end to Spanish dominion
in the Catholic Church. Harty successfully consolidated and strengthened the church during these troubled years.
He was responsible for convoking the Second Synod of Manila in 1911 which summarized and tabulated past
Episcopal decrees and statues. He was succeeded by Michael J. O’Doherty in 1916.
Archbishop O’Doherty contributed in freeing the Archdiocese of Manila and the whole nation from 300 years of
Spanish Catholic conservatism and in supporting the rise in leadership of the secular clergy under the Americans
and the emerging Filipino leaders like Manuel L. Quezon. In 1925, he convoked the Third Synod of Manila which
brought archdiocesan legislation in line with canon law. He strengthened and improved the facilities of the
Seminary of San Carlos, introduced the use of English in Catholic schools, supported the establishment of welfare
groups, like the Welfareville Boys’ and Girls’ Towns in Mandaluyong, and issued Catholic publications – all well-
meaning efforts to make the Catholic Church closer to the people and attune it with the times. In time, the Catholic
Church gained strong roots again, weathering the criticisms hurled against it by American Protestant proselytizers,
still retaining its position as the dominant religion in the islands.
The Manila Cathedral underwent minor repairs and alterations during the first decades of the twentieth century
prior to its cruel destruction during the Battle of Liberation in 1945. Although in 1915, Archbishop Jeremias Harty
made slight repairs to bring back the cathedral to its former glory before the Philippine Revolution and the Filipino-
American War, Serrano’s design was not changed. Thus, the 1879 cathedral survived until the Second World War,
with its basic forms and features preserved and only slightly altered.
In the Manila Cathedral were held important religious ceremonies to celebrate the coronation of the Popes and
their demise. In 1907, a significant celebration was held to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the Proclamation
of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, an important event for the cathedral under whose titular patronage
it was. Special rites were also performed in the cathedral to observe the First national Eucharistic congress held
on December 11-15, 1929 and the 33 rd International Eucharistic Congress held on February 3-7, 1937. The
cathedral also witnessed the Te Deum for the safe arrival of Calvo and Arnaiz, the first Spanish aviators who flew
from Spain to Manila. A solemn Te Deum and a special mass to mark the occasion of the inauguration of the
Philippine Commonweath in 1935 were held in the Manila Cathedral.

Manila Cathedral Prior to World War II

During the period before World War II, the Cathedral was described to be a lovely church replete with ornaments,
furniture, statues, and images of remarkable antiquity and beauty. It had several chapels dedicated to St. Joseph,
Our Lady of Sorrows, St. Peter, Sacred Heart, Our Lady of Mercy, St. John Nepomuceno, and Our Lady of
Guidance. This latter chapel was also known as the Parroquia del Sagrario, the chapel which served as the parish
church of Intramuros and home of the image of Nuestra Señora de Guia before her transfer to Ermita Church. The
Cathedral also sheltered the Virgin of Antipolo in 1647, for a period of time, some years after the church was
sacked and burned down during the Chinese revolt in 1639, until her eventual installation again in Antipolo Church.
It was in the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows that the offices for the dead were sometimes performed and where,
in a niche, the remains of Msgr. Giovanni Battista Guidi, apostolic delegate during the American Occupation, were
interred.
In the sacristy were hung old paintings of the different archbishops of Manila. In there were kept rich vestments
and old wooden chests, consoles, and bureaus. Enormous choir books of great antiquity could be found among
the reliquaries and wardrobes in the sacristy. Among the exquisite paintings in the cathedral were those of The
Baptism of Our Lord, St. Anthony of Padua, and The Crucifixion.
The main altar was graced by the statue of the Immaculate Conception, after Murillo’s painting, with the ceiling
above it painted to simulate the sky dotted with many faces of cherubs. Surrounding this high altar, in a frieze-like
band were the heads of the apostles. While in the transept areas were the kings, prophets, and patriarchs. The
clustered columns in the nave had beautifully gilded capitals. The dome, which had an anterior balcony, was raised
on a drum, with pendentives, painted with frescoes of the four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
At the back of the main altar were interred the remains of Simon de Anda, while behind it in a mausoleum were
those of Archbishops Jose Aranguren and Jose Segui.
From its humble conception as a small parish church, the Manila Cathedral grew and metamorphosed to be a
significant force in the affairs of the archdiocese and the Church. Its history shows that it has been a survivor of
time and nature’s devastations, and the labor of love of its different archbishops and the countless faithful of the
archdiocese. After World War II and its destruction, the Cathedral would rise again, as it has always done in its
colorful past, stronger and better, a shining torch of the Faith, not only of the archdiocese of the whole Filipino
nation.

The Ei ght Cathe dral 1958 - Prese nt

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
Immaculae 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.

M ANI LA CAT HEDR AL AS A CE NT ER O F H AP PEN IN G S

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.

Pope Paul VI’s Visit to the Philippines

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.

E u p h o r i c R e c e p t i o n t o J a i m e C a r d i n a l S i n , 3 0 t h Ar c h b i s h o p o f
Manila
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.

T h e Q u a d r i c e n t e n n i a l o f t h e Ar c h d i o c e s e o f M a n i l a
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 Ele va t ion t o Mi nor Basilica

As an enduring witness to the faith of millions of Filipinos and as the venue of many important religious activities
participated in by two Popes, the Manila Cathedral earned the title of Basilica of the Immaculate Conception by
virtue of a Papal bull (decree) issued by Pope John Paul II on April 27, 1981. This was a special gift from the Holy
Father to the Filipino people because it happened through his direct intercession.
The Manila Cathedral is the only church in the country to become a minor basilica through the Holy Father’s own
motion – motu propio – a personal decision that came without any prompting from any other source.
The traditional manner by which a church is elevated to the rank of a minor basilica is through a petition by the
bishop in whose diocese the church is found. The bishop, with the concurrence of the Episcopal conference of the
given country, makes a petition to the Pope through the
Sacred Congregation of Divine Worship that the central church of his diocese be elevated to the status and dignity
of a minor basilica. A bishop may undertake such a petition through a widespread consensus in the diocese and
among other bishops that the specific church plays a prominent and significant role in the religious life of the
country and that the splendor of the liturgical ceremonies performed therein is extraordinary.
Pope John Paul II first expressed his wish for the Manila Cathedral to become a basilica to Jaime L. Cardinal Sin,
Archbishop of Manila, during the Pontiff’s visit to the Philippines in February 1981, right after he celebrated Mass
on the first day. In April of the same year, the Manila Metropolitan Cathedral was declared a Minor Basilica.
As a Basilica, Manila’s premier church acquired international or superlocal character. It was granted the right to
bear the Coat of Arms of the Vatican City on its façade and the crossed keys of St. Peter on all its furniture,
liturgical vestments and linen, and to adopt its own logo or seal. The rector of the Basilica was also to wear the
particular vestments for his new position for special liturgical and official occasions. The vestments consist of a
black silk mossetta with red linings, buttonholes and buttons worn over the surplice.
Churches elevated to the rank of Minor Basilica are, in many instances, outstanding for their architectural and
artistic preeminence. In other cases, they are closely linked to major religious movements that form the Christian
moral conscience of the country’s history. In some cases, a Church is declared a basilica because of its relation
to an outstanding saint.
The rich and colorful history of the Manila Cathedral, spanning four centuries, its picturesqueness and excellent
architecture, and its role in the lives of the faithful as a venue for religious, liturgical, and cultural activities in the
Philippines , no doubt, gave the Manila Cathedral a special place in the heart of the Holy Father Pope John Paul
II. These have earned for the Manila Metropolitan Cathedral the honor and dignity of the title “Minor Basilica.”

The Cat he dral - Bas ilica To w ard Greater R ele va nce

The story of the Manila Cathedral is not only a story of the Church, it is also a story of Intramuros, a story of
Manila, a story of the Philippines. Manila Cathedral is a time narrative; it is about ruins and ravages, rising and
restorations. As its pineapple finials powerfully symbolize, Manila Cathedral represents life cycle; its rich history
is a reference to trails and timelines that call for a dynamic continuance.
It is in heeding this call that the Manila Cathedral-Basilica, as it embraces increased commitment and relevance,
steers itself through present-day challenges along a more complex mission parameter: Worship, Education,
Services, Temporalities, and Youth (WESTY). Incumbent Rector Msgr. Nestor C. Cerbo, appointed in 2002 by
then Manila Archbishop Jaime L. Cardinal Sin “to make the cathedral the model to all the churches” in the
Philippines, has embarked on mighty efforts to give the Cardinal’s word concrete proofs of results, chief of which
being the recent
renovations and repairs of the church building and its appurtenant structures. The beauty of the present cathedral
reflects details of architectural finesse and fidelity to its old form, to its glory and grandeur that have always been
its distinguishing mark.
But, perhaps, the present reconstructed, and now again renovated, Manila Cathedral will not fully capture the
former splendor of the old one. Perhaps, only the memories of the past can evoke bittersweet remembrance of its
olden magnificence.
Yet, true to tradition, the Manila Cathedral has sprung back from the scratch, as always, and evolved far enough
to reign in its rightful place in the history of the Church and of Manila, as a shining beacon and preserver of the
faith in the heart of the Walled City – the homepage and centerfold of the Philippine history.

R e nova ti ons

Further to the major structural repairs and renovations of Manila Cathedral, which were blessed in a proper
ceremonial rite during its 44th anniversary in December 2002, more construction projects have been undertaken.
These are efforts of the Rector in connection with a continuing “facelift program” for the Cathedral until it becomes
fully furbished by the time it celebrates its Golden Anniversary in 2008.
Based on the status report prepared by foreman Romeo Galido and bookkeeper Jennie Calderon, the following
works have been completed as of December 2003:

RENOVATION OF MANILA CATHEDRAL - BASILICA

 Rehabilitation of chilled water piping insulation (supply and return).
 Repair and repiping of comfort rooms inside and outside the Cathedral.
 Repiping and relocation of main water line outside the Cathedral office.
 Plumbing works on the janitors’ room.
 Relocation of floor drain and installation of piping drain of aircon units.
 A/C ductworks for Unit No. 1 and No. 2.
 Reinstallation of AHU 1 and 2 at the roof deck.
 Renovation of ground floor office, involving carpentry, masonry, painting, wood parquet works, and hauling of
debris and waste materials.
 Electrical works on emergency lights, alarm bell, Internet, telephone, convenience outlet, and door switch.
 Transfer of electrical wire, exhaust fan, wall fan, and PBX cable.
 Installation and rewiring of aqua blue ropelights to the metal cross.
 Repair of generator room.
 Installation of steel gate at the Cathedral side; widening of east wing ramp.
 Construction of storage compartments.
 Installation of the Papal Coat of Arms at the façade and at the Dome area of the Cathedral.
 Installation of iron stairs for the videographers and photographers.
 Renovation and water-proofing of inside concrete gutter.
 Installation of two steel doors and two window grilles at the janitors’ room.
 Installation of Hi-bay lights and organ spotlights at the choir loft.
 Installation of the church’s welcome signages.
 Rehabilitation of the tower bells and giant clocks.
 Repair and renovation of the bell installation, including fabrication of three new clock counter weights and
installation of new counter weight cables.
 Installation of new ropelights and painting of big metal frame.
 Plastering of damaged beam and widening of railings and enclosure of hand railings of the bell tower/belfry.
 Re-landscaping of the Cathedral Gardens.
 Construction of the dome of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception at the Cathedral Gardens.
 Installation of lights and backlights for the dome of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Garden.
 Improvement of the Episcopal Throne.

Plaza Roma

Plaza Roma was the Plaza Mayor during Spanish Intramuros. It was used as a venue
for bullfights and other public events until 1797 when Governor-General Rafael Maria
de Aguilar turned it to a garden enclose with iron fence. During the American period,
the plaza was named Plaza McKinley, in honor of a US president. When Rufino
Santos became the first Filipino cardinal, the plaza was renamed Plaza de Roma, and to
return the honor, Rome also named one of their plazas as Piazza Manila.

The plaza is a prototype of the Spanish colonial city planning. Like in most old towns in
the Philippines, where the church, the municipal hall and houses of keys officials
surround an open court, Plaza Roma is surrounded by what used to be major
government buildings.

King Carlos VI Monument

Standing at the center of the plaza, cast in bronze, is the regal statue of King Carlos IV.
The statue was locally made at Fort Santiago’s royal foundry or the maestranza. It was
erected to honor the king for sending the first smallpox vaccine to the colony.

Ayuntamiento
East of the plaza is the ruins of the Ayuntamiento or Casas Consistoriales. During its
glory days, the Ayuntamiento was the center of political and public affairs and the core
of the city government. Housed within its walls were several offices including the
residence of the mayors, a prison, the government archives, and elaborately-furnished
function halls like the salon de baile (ballroom) and the municipal board session hall.

It was in this building where the Spanish Governor General Fermin Jaudenes and
American General Wesley Merrit signed the official change of colonial power. During
the American period, the session room was used by the First Philippine Assembly in
1907 headed by Sergio Osmena and later by the Philippine Legislature. The Supreme
Court and Bureau of Justice also held office in the Ayuntamiento until its total
destruction in 1945.

Palacio de Gobernador
In the original plan of Manila designed by Gobernador General Miguel Lopez de
Legaspi, the west side of Plaza Roma was reserved for the governor’s palace. But the
first official residence of the Spanish Governor General or the Palacio Real was located
within Fort Santiago. It was only after the 1583 fire when a royal residence arose on the
site assigned to it.

An earthquake destroyed the palace during the governorship of the tragic Alonso
Fajardo (1618-1624). Two decade later, the mansion of former member of the Real
Audencia (Supreme Court) Manuel Estacio de Venegas rose from the site of the palace.
When Venegas got involved in several controversies, the dazzling mansion he had built
was confiscated. Since then, it became Palacio de Gobernador.
For 200 years its great halls resounded with the tumult of colonial politics. It was on the
palace stair where Governor Fernanado Bustamante and his son were assassinated by a
mob incited by friars. The British invaders enthroned themselves during their two year
of empire over Manila.

The last governor to reside in the palace was General Rafael Echague. It was during his
term when the terrible Corpus Christi earthquake of 1863 levelled all Manila to the
ground. The palace was toppled. The Governor General moved to Colegio de Santa
Potenciana while repair are being made to the building. Construction was stopped when
a summer residence in San Miguel (Malacañang) was favored as the new official
residence of the Governor General. On the site now stands, in its monstrosity the
Palacio del Gobernador Condominium.

Manila Cathedral

Facing Plaza Roma is the Manila Cathedral. The present Cathedral is the sixth church to
be erected on the site. The Church of Manila was originally governed by friar orders
until 1581 when Pope Gregory XIII created the diocese of Manila elevating the church to
a cathedral under the title of the Inmaculada Concepcion de la Virgen Maria. Its first
bishop was Fray Domingo Salazar. In 1581, Salazar immediately started building a
cathedral replacing the old parish of Manila, which was completed in four years.
The important episode of the Cathedral long history is depicted in its bronze doors from
it humble beginnings as achurch made of nipa and bamboo to the destruction of the last
Cathedral brought by the Liberation of Manila in 1945. Today, the reconstructed
Manila Cathedral is celebrated for its architectural mix of Neo-Romanesque and Neo-
Byzantine –the Art of Manila Cathedral.

Formerly called Plaza Mayor, Plaza Roma was once the venue for bullfights, dances, and celebrations back in the
Spanish era. The Plaza was strategically made to be the center of the town of old Manila or the Intramuros. It is
converted into a park in 1797, and a bronze statue of King Carlos VI was erected in 1824 as a tribute for the
introduction of the smallpox cure to the Philippines. It was renamed as Plaza Mckinley in the American period as an
ode to President William Mckinley.The King Carlos statue was briefly replaced by a GomBurZa statue in the 1960s
but the original statue of King Carlos was returned in 1981 up to present.