The National Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Loreto, commonly known as Sampaloc Church or Loreto Church, is a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
church located along Figueras Street (formerly Bustillos) in the district of
Sampaloc in the
City of Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on the island of Luzon, it is ...
. It is under the jurisdiction of the
Archdiocese of Manila
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
. The church is named after and dedicated to the
Virgin Mary
Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
and her
pilgrimage site in
Loreto, Italy where tradition states as the site where the Mary's house was relocated.
History
The
Franciscans
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...
under Father Blas de la Madre de Dios, the Provincial Father of the Philippine Franciscan mission, built the first church on the Sampaloc site in 1613. It was made into a parish that same year, along with the enshrinement of the Marian image of Our Lady of Loreto. A convent was built near the church which in 1621 which served as the first home of the congregation of Poor Clares in the country led by Jeronima of the Assumption, Mother Jeronima de la Asuncion before they moved to Intramuros later that year.
The first church was reconstructed twice, first in 1640 as a result of a 1639 Chinese revolt that burned down the church, and again in 1666 after damage from a 1645 earthquake and because of the needs of a growing community in Sampaloc. The church was also affected by the 1880 earthquake, after which its toppled steeple was reconstructed.
The original jurisdiction of the parish of Sampaloc comprised not only the present Sampaloc district but it also extended into present-day Pandacan and Santa Mesa. Pandacan was separated to have Pandacan Church, its own parish in 1712 while a separate parish for Santa Mesa was established in 1911. In 1932, another split was made in the parish's territory when a parish was established to serve the community in the eastern part of Sampaloc that is known as Balic-Balic. The administration of the Sampaloc parish by then was given to the
Archdiocese of Manila
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
, which was effected in 1899.
The Battle of Manila (1945), Battle of Manila in 1945 completely destroyed the original church. The church was temporarily rebuilt as a wood and bamboo structure while plans were made for the construction of a more permanent structure. On November 22, 1958, the present church was completed and was rededicated to the Our Lady of Loreto. The church was further adorned with the addition of a bronze sculpture in 1975 by Filipino sculptor Ed Castrillo.
The church was elevated to the status of archdiocesan shrine by the Archdiocese of Manila on December 5, 2002.
On March 23, 2023, the Manila City Council passed an ordinance recognizing Our Lady of Loreto as the patroness of Sampaloc, Manila.
On December 1, 2023, the Marian image was first episcopally crowned by Cardinal Jose Advincula. On May 6, 2024, the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments decreed the canonical coronation, pontifical coronation of the Marian statue, for the
Archdiocese of Manila
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
. The coronation rites was presided by the Apostolic Nunciature to the Philippines, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Charles John Brown, on December 10, 2024.
On January 25, 2025, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines formally elevated the church to the status of a National Shrine. The solemn declaration took place on May 31, 2025, coinciding with the Visitation of Mary, Feast of the Visitation of Mary.
On March 25, 2025, on the feast of the Annunciation, the shrine was declared as an Aggregate Shrine of the Basilica della Santa Casa, Pontifical Shrine of the Holy House in Loreto, Marche, Loreto, Italy.
Priests
Gallery
File:Loreto_sculpture.JPG, Sculpture of Our Lady of Loreto by Ed Castrillo
File:06780jfArchdiocesan Shrine Our Lady Loreto Sampaloc Manilafvf 02.jpg, Church interior in 2016
File:Our Lady of Loreto Church pipe organ in Sampaloc, Manila.jpg, Choir loft and pipe organ
File:Altar Loreto Church Manila.jpg, Church main altar showing the Image of the Our Lady of Loreto
File:church_side_altar.JPG, Church side altar
File:Sampaloc Church 02.jpg, The venerated image of Our Lady of Loreto at the main altar of the church
St. Anthony Shrine
Adjacent to the Our Lady of Loreto Archdiocesan Shrine is the St. Anthony of Padua Shrine, a church administered by the Third Order Franciscans, Venerable Third Order of the Franciscans (). The church traces its origins in 1794, when the Third Order proceeded to build its own church near the premises of the Loreto Church upon the invitation of their Franciscan brethren who were administering Loreto at that time. The church was originally dedicated to the Our Lady of the Pilgrims (), but it was destroyed along with the original Loreto Church in the Battle of Manila of 1945.
Work proceeded shortly for the construction of the new church, which was completed in 1947. This time the church was dedicated as a shrine to St. Anthony of Padua after Franciscans decided to transfer the devotional activities to St. Anthony from the now destroyed San Francisco Church (Manila), San Francisco Church in Intramuros to Sampaloc Church.
Due to their proximity and shared history, the Loreto and St. Anthony churches have been known alternately as "the twin churches of Sampaloc" and "the twin churches of Bustillos".
References
External links
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{{Roman Catholic churches in Manila
Roman Catholic churches in Manila
Buildings and structures in Sampaloc, Manila
1613 establishments in the Spanish Empire
Cultural Properties of the Philippines in Metro Manila
Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila
Buildings and structures of the Philippines destroyed during World War II
Roman Catholic national shrines in the Philippines