Visita Iglesia Manila

8/13/2019 Visita Iglesia Manila

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Visita Iglesia8 O L D M A N I L A C H U R C H E S

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY

ESTAN CABIGAS

SIMBAHAN.NET


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ESTAN CABIGAS ESTANCABIGAS.COM SIMBAHAN.NET +639189456962 [email protected]

Visita Iglesia8 O L D M A N I L A C H U R C H E S

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY

ESTAN CABIGAS

SIMBAHAN.NET

The City of Manila was the capital of what was

then known during the Spanish colonial period as

the province of Tondo. It was established un der the

command of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi in 1571 over the

remnants of Rajah Soli mans kingdom.

The most important area is Intramuros, a citadel where

Spains colony was administered. Within its walls the

major religious orders built their churches. Outside

were also constructed several edifices to attend t o the

spiritual needs of parishioners.

This segment of the visita iglesiaseries features eight

of the surviving Spanish colonial era churches within

Manila either wholly built o r still retaining its orig inal

faade.

Churches featured:

Malate Church

San Agustin ChurchMa nila Me tropolitan Cathed ral

Tondo Church

Binond o Mi nor Basilica

Quiapo Minor Basilica

San Sebastian Minor Basilica

Sta. Ana Church


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Malate Church

Malate was formerly

known as Maalat,

derived from the salty

waters near it which

the Spaniards latercorrupted to its current

name. The first church

was constructed by t he

Au gu st in ia ns in 15 88

under the protection

and care of the Nuestra

Seora de los Remedios

whose miraculous image

was brought in 1624

from Andalucia, Spain.

Upon orders of Governor-General Sabiniano Manrique de

Lara, it was destroyed in 1661 over fears of an attack by the

pirate Li Ma Hong but rebuilt in 1677-79.

In 1762, it was made the headquarters of the British during

their brief invasion of Manila. In 1864, it was rebuilt for the

third time after t he great earthquake of 1863 that destoyed

many other churches.

The faade is said to be a blend of Muslim and Baroque

architectural styles, one of the impressive ones in Manila.

Unfortunately, because the paletada has been scraped off

the surface, wearing and deterioration has been apparent

with two of its emblelishments, the two heart relieves at the

side of the main portal disintegrating.

San Agustin Church

San Agustin Church

in Intramuros is the

mother of all churches

in the country. It was

constructed in 1587 andfinished in 1604. This

church has survived

earthquakes, fires,

typhoons and when

Manila was bombed out

by the Americans to

flush out the Japanese

in World War II, the second most destroyed city in the

world after Warsaw in Poland, it was the only structure left

standing in Intramuros suffering a gaping hole in what is now

the Chapel of Legazpi and a damaged bell t ower.

The left belfry was torn down by Spanish authorities after

it posed a security risk for passersby after it cracked in the

1880 earthquake. The interior offers a peek of the richness of

religious edifices in times past with its stunning trompe l oeil,

beautiful 17th century pulpit and intricately carved portals

make it one of the must see churches in the country.

The church and the monastery complex is one of two

remaining example of its kind in the Phil ippines. The titular

patron of San Agustin church is the Conversion of St. Paul.

During the pre-war period, it was one of seven major

churches within the walls that people come for the visita

iglesia. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


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Manila Metropolitan

Cathedral

The Manila

Cathedral, the

ecclesiastical seat of

the Archdiocese of

Manila is just one of

two surviving churches

that can still be found in

Intramuros.

It was first built in

1581 made from nipa

and bamboo. In its428 years of history, it has been destroyed by fire, typhoon,

earthquakes and the last World War but always rising from

the ashes.

Af ter Worl d War II, on ly th e wa ll s an d faad e st oo d. Th e

current structure, the 8th, was built between 1954 and 1958

over its remains. Even now, one can still see some of the

original portion at the choirloft.

It was elevated to a minor basil ica by Pope John Paul

II during his Manila visit in 1981 and is dedicated to the

Immaculate Conception.

The architecture is a blend of Romanesque-Byzantine with

Baroque elements that typifies many Phil ippine Spanish

colonial era churches in the country. Its main portal feature

bronze relieves that depict its construction history.

Tondo Church

Tondo was the first

city of the province

with the same name and

the churchs convent

was one of the firstfew in Luzon having

been accepted by the

Au gu st in ia n fri ar s in

1572. It is under the

protection of the Sto.

Nio de Cebu.

The first stone church

was believed to have

been finished in 1625. It got damaged in 1641 during the

Chinese revolt and by an earthquake in 1645. In 1661,

together with Malate Church, it was torn down upon orders of

Governor-General de Lara due to fears of an invasion by the

Chinese pirate Li Ma Hong (or Koxinga) from Formosa (now

Taiwan). It was rebuilt later that year.

The current stone church, the third to be built was started

after the earthquake of 1863 damaged the previous one. It

is the first church in the country to use steel framing for the

media naranjaor dome and iron sheets for the roofing that

were imported from England.

The faade of the church is done in the neoclassical style

flanked by twin belltowers.


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Quiapo Minor

Basilica

Quiapo District was

first established

in 1586 by Governor-

General Santiago de

Vera. The Fransciscans

erected the first church

made of nipa and

bamboo under the

advocacy of St. John

the Baptist.

A fi re de st ro ye d th e fi rs t st ru ct ur e in 16 39 . It wa s la te rrebuilt but this second church was damaged during the 1863

earthquake. While the Franciscans built the first church, later

structures were erected by the Seculars.

In 1787, the Archbishop of Manila, Basil io Sancho de Santas

Justa y Rufina ordered the transfer of the image of the

Black Nazarene that was then enshrined at the Augustinian

Recollects main church, the San Nicolas de Tolentino, in

Intramuros. This transfer or translacion is commemoratedevery 9 January.

The third church was inaugurated in 1899. In 1928, fire

consumed the edifice and was rebuilt with the architect Juan

Nakpil in charge of the plans for reconstruction. It was later

expanded to its current form sometime in the 80s.

Now known as the Minor Basil ica of the Black Nazarene, it is

the center of the icons devotion in the country.

San Sebastian Minor

Basilica

The Minor Basilica

of San Sebastian

is a sight to behold. Its

towering spires, soaring

high into the heavens,

and impressive neo-

gothic architecture

sends one to ecstasy.

The current structure,

the national shrine

to the Our Lady ofMt. Carmel, was built

by the Augustinian

Recollects in 1893 after

the one made of stone

was destroyed by an

earthquake. Its first church was built in the middle of the

17th century.

The iron sheets and panels were manufactured in Belgiumand was assembled by local artists and craftsmen when it

arrived in 1888. Its beautiful st ained glass windows were

imported from Germany.

The architecture is neo-gothic with those fan vaults and

lancet arches. However, because of the material, the intricate

details and embell ishments of the typical architectural style

is at a minimum.


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Sta. Ana Church

The Franciscans were

the first to establish

a mission outside the

walls of Intramuros in

1578 to better servethe needs of the laity.

This is the present town

dedicated and named

after St. Anne of the

Ab an do ne d.

The present churchs

cornerstone was laid

in 1720 by the Bishop

of Manila and acting

Governer General of the

Phil ippines that time,

Francisco de la Cuesta.

It was built under the supervision of Fray Vicente Ingles.

The church is known for its beautiful baroque retablo, the

only one of its kind that can be found sti l l intact in Manila.

The statue of the Our Lady of the Abandoned is a copy of

the original at Valencia, Spain and holds a crystal baton that

used to belong to the Governer General, symbolic of his

authority and was donated by the Archbishop.

In 1966, the National Museum excavated the inner patio of

the church and found a rich horde of artifacts with the oldest,

a white and blue ceramic with floral designs, dating to the

11th century. This indicates its rich pre-hispanic past.

Binondo Minor

Basilica

Binondo Church

was founded by

the Dominicans for the

spiritual adminsitration

of the Christian

Chinese.

The first structure was

built in 1596 presumably

of light materials and

was dedicated to San

Gabriel. It was rebuiltin stone in 1606. In 1740, it was decided to demolish the old

church and build a new one which was inaugurated in 1749

and dedicated to the Nuestra Seora Santissima del Rosario.

The church and its belfry were damaged by the 1863

earthquake. During World War II, bombs were dropped in

1944 and left only a shell of the Church. It was later rebuilt.

Acco rd in g to Pe dr o Ga le nd e, OS A in Ph il ip pi ne Ch ur chFaades:

its front and belfry is a fine example of Mexican-Spanish

colonial architecture, expressing, as some historians wrote,

the graceful and l ively form of the baroque Phil ippine Style.

It is now known as the Minor Basil ica of San Lorenzo Ruiz as

this was where the first Fil ipino saint l ived, worked and grew

up .


7/9ESTAN CABIGAS ESTANCABIGAS.COM SIMBAHAN.NET +639189456962 [email protected]

Visita Iglesiain Mani laMap

Tondo Church

Manila Cathedral

San Agustin

Church

Malate Church Sta. Ana Church

San Sebastian

Basilica

Quiapo Basilica

Binondo Basilica


8/9ESTAN CABIGAS ESTANCABIGAS.COM SIMBAHAN.NET +639189456962 [email protected]

Simbahan.netP H I L I P P I N E R E L I G I O U SCOL ON I A L HE R I TA GE

A R C H I T E C T U R E

Simbahan.net is devoted to Phil ippine Catholic

religious colonial architecture like heritage

churches, cemeteries, fortifications and parochial

houses or what is colloquially known as kumbento. As

much as possible, I highlight these as detailed as I can.

The posts that you can read i n the blog are b ased on

actual field work, documentation and research.

Background and history, however, all depend on the

references that I can find. All photographs, unless

stated otherwise are personally taken in situ.

Check simbahan.net for additional downloadable PDF

files.

Simbahan.net covers thefollowing:

Spanish colonial era churches

Conventos

For tifica tion s

Cemeteries


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Estan CabigasP H O T O G R A P H E R A N D B L O G G E R

Estan Cabigas is a multiawarded blogge r and

freelance photographer based in Makati City, the

Philippines. A true blue Cebuano, he makes stunning

images and meaningful photo stories. He has writtten

for CNN Go and his photograph wil l be published in the

May 2010 issue of the National Geographic Magazine.

He is available for photo projects, assignments and

talks on Photography as well as contributes t ravel

related features and articles with beautiful images.

To know more about him and his photography, visit his

portfolio site at estancabigas.com.

Estan Cabigass websites:

EstanCabigas. comSimbahan.net

Lan gya w.com

Salagubang.net

FitandRu n.In fo
http://estancabigas.com/http://estancabigas.com/

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Visita Iglesia Manila