The Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, commonly known as the Manila Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic basilica and

cathedral church A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

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 ...

. It is dedicated to the

Blessed 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 ...

of the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not def ...

, the principal

Patroness Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

of the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. Originally constructed in 1571 as a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

under the Archdiocese of Mexico, it became a separate diocese on February 6, 1579, via the

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

Pope Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII (, , born Ugo Boncompagni; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake ...

. The original structure dates from 1581 and its 8th building re—construction was completed in 1958. The basilica has merited three Apostolic Visits from Popes Paul VI,

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

and

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

. On April 27, 1981, Pope John Paul II raised the shrine to the status of

Minor Basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

through his

motu proprio In law, (Latin for 'on his own impulse') describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party. Some jurisdictions use the term for the same concept. In Catholic canon law, it refers to a document issued by the pope on h ...

History

Parochial church (1571)

The Secular priest Father Juan de Vivero baptized Rajah Matanda and arrived in

Manila Bay Manila Bay (; ) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Philippines and ...

in 1566, established the "Church of Manila" established in 1571. The former Archbishop of Mexico,

Alonso de Montúfar Alonso de Montúfar y Bravo de Lagunas, O.P., was a Spanish Dominican friar and prelate of the Catholic Church, who ruled as the second Archbishop of Mexico from 1551 to his death in 1572. He approved and promoted the devotion to Our Lady ...

sent De Vivero, chaplain of the

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships developed in Spain and Portugal. They were first used as armed cargo carriers by Europe, Europeans from the 16th to 18th centuries during the Age of Sail, and they were the principal vessels dr ...

''San Gerónimo'', to establish Christianity as the spiritual and religious administration in newly colonized Philippines. De Vivero later became vicar-general and the first ecclesiastical judge of Manila. The Spanish conquistador,

Miguel López de Legazpi Miguel López de Legazpi (12 June 1502 – 20 August 1572), also known as ''Adelantado, El Adelantado'' and ''El Viejo'' (The Elder), was a Spanish conquistador who financed and led an expedition to conquer the Philippines, Philippine islan ...

chose the church's location and placed it under the patronage of Santa Potenciana. The church's first parish priest was Fray Juan de Villanueva.

First cathedral (1581–1583)

The church was elevated to a cathedral in 1579, coinciding with the canonical erection of the Diocese of Manila. In 1581,

Domingo de Salazar Domingo de Salazar (1512 – December 4, 1594) was a Catholic Dominican prelate who served as the first Bishop of Manila (1579–1594), ''(in Latin)''nipa, wood and

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

that was consecrated on December 21, 1581, formally becoming a cathedral. The building was destroyed by a fire that started during the funeral of

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Gonzalo Ronquillo de Peñalosa at San Agustin Church and razed much of the city.

Second cathedral (1592–1600)

The second cathedral, which was made of stone, was built in 1592. This cathedral had a central

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and two collateral naves. The building was nearly completed when Bishop Salazar left for Spain. He died on December 4, 1594, and never returned to Manila to become its first archbishop. In 1595, the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

gave the cathedral sacred

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s from 155 martyrs, 20 popes, Saint Polycarp and Saint Potenciana, and these were taken to Manila. A side structure was built beside the main cathedral to house the relics. Governor-General Juan Niño de Tabora and his wife Doña Magdalena Saldivar y Medoza built another collateral structure to shelter subsequent relics. By 1597, the cathedral buildings were unfinished; it lacked a chapter hall, baptistry,

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

, and

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

. On December 31, 1600, the cathedral was destroyed by an earthquake.

Third cathedral (1614–1645)

Archbishop Miguel de Benavides initiated the reconstruction of the cathedral. After his death in 1605, the project was passed on to his successor Diego Vázquez de Mercado. By 1607, the cathedral was in such a poor state it was abandoned. The third cathedral structure, consisting of three naves and seven chapels, was built in 1614, largely using donated funds from the fourth dean Don Francisco Gomez de Arellano. The seven chapels were built from donations given by the cathedral's patrons. On August 1, 1621, an earthquake caused serious damage to the cathedral's structure. Between 1641 and 1645, the cathedral was reconstructed but it was destroyed by a series of earthquakes in November and December 1645.

Fourth cathedral (1671–1751)

Reconstruction of the cathedral started after the arrival of Miguel de Poblete Casasola, the eighth Archbishop of Manila. The cornerstone of the fourth structure was laid on April 20, 1654. By 1659, the cathedral was nearly completed; the naves were enclosed and some halls were completed. In 1662, the main altar was built out of molave wood. The cathedral, which was made of quarried stone, lime and gravel, was blessed on June 7, 1662. In 1750, the Florentine friar Juan de Uguccioni added a ''media naranja'' ("half orange") dome to the crossing and introduced a

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

to the structure. Following several earthquakes and typhoons, the fourth cathedral was demolished in 1751.

Fifth cathedral (1760–1852)

Work on the fifth cathedral building started after the demolition of its predecessor. Uguccioni's designs brought major changes; the three-nave design was retained but the chapels were reduced. The fifth cathedral, which closely resembled the

Church of the Gesù The Church of the Gesù (, ), officially named (), is a church located at Piazza del Gesù in the Pigna (rione of Rome), Pigna ''Rioni of Rome, rione'' of Rome, Italy. It is the mother church of the Society of Jesus (best known as Jesuits). Wi ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, was inaugurated on December 8, 1760; since then, there had been no modifications or alterations to the structure except for some minor repairs. The cathedral, particularly the dome structure, was repaired in 1839. It survived the British occupation of Manila but underwent repairs. It was damaged by an earthquake on September 16, 1852.

Sixth cathedral (1858–1863)

Bidding for the cathedral reconstruction was conducted in 1854 and the sixth structure was opened on March 31, 1858. The building had a new Neoclassical façade, which was used for the seventh and eighth structures. The sixth cathedral replaced the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

façade of the fifth cathedral and the truncated or box-like

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

was replaced with a circular dome. On June 3, 1863, the sixth cathedral was damaged by a very strong earthquake that also damaged the palace of the Governor General of the Philippines. Many called for the building's demolition and clearing of the site. Architect Don Antonio Moraleda proposed to demolish and clear the ruins but the plan was put on hold in 1866. The plan was renewed in 1868, when architect Vicente Serrano y Salaverri was commissioned to inspect and undertake a study of the ruins. Serrano concluded the cathedral ruins must be demolished and this occurred in 1870.

Seventh cathedral (1879–1945)

Manila Cathedral before the 1880 earthquake

The seventh cathedral was constructed from 1873 to 1879, and was consecrated on December 7, 1879. The cross atop the central dome is a reference point of astronomical longitudes of the archipelago. In 1880, another earthquake toppled the building's

, which had survived the 1863 earthquake, rendering the cathedral towerless until 1958. During the

Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...

of 1896, Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda y Villa opened the cathedral to Spanish soldiers who sought refuge. During the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

, American soldiers converted the cathedral into a hospital for their wounded soldiers. Manila Cathedral after

In 1937, the International Eucharistic Congress was held in the Philippines; Manila Cathedral played a role in promoting eucharistic beliefs. A cathedral stamp and medal were unveiled to commemorate the event; these were made by the official manufacturer of medals for the

Congress of the Philippines The Congress of the Philippines () is the legislature of the national government of the Philippines. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of an upper body, the Senate of the Philippines, Senate, and a lower body, the House of Representatives ...

sculptor Críspulo Zamora. In 1945, during the Battle of Manila, Japanese forces destroyed the seventh cathedral in a scorched-earth defense.

Eighth cathedral (1958–present)

After the Second World War, archbishops Michael J. O'Doherty and Gabriel Reyes planned to transfer the seat of the Archdiocese of Manila to

Mandaluyong Mandaluyong ( ; ), officially the City of Mandaluyong (, ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly-urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popula ...

. The plan was dropped when the cathedral was reconstructed under Cardinal Rufino Santos, under the supervision of Kapampangan architect Fernando Ocampo. The first cornerstone of the eighth cathedral was blessed and laid by Cardinal Fernando Quiroga Palacios, the Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela and

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catho ...

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

, on December 8, 1954. The building was consecrated on December 7, 1958, and the

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

was consecrated on December 10 that year. MNL Cathedral cornerstone 2023-05-14

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

made an apostolic visit and celebrated Mass at the cathedral on November 27, 1970.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

also celebrated Mass in the cathedral on February 17, 1981, during his first papal visit to the country, and issued a

elevating the cathedral to a minor basilica through his own on April 27, 1981. In the same papal bull, John Paul II restated Paul VI's papal decree of June 6, 1968, should be eternally preserved and enforced to the merits and titles of the cathedral as its own basilica. The

golden jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali language, ...

of the Manila Cathedral's post-war restoration was celebrated in 2008 with the second Manila Cathedral Pipe Organ Festival from December 2 to 10, which was organized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. The cathedral's

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

was built by Dutch organ builder Pels & Zoon in 1958 and consists of 5,584 pipes, is the largest church organ in Southeast Asia. In February 2011, the cathedral's bells were moved to the ground level to prevent the bell tower from collapsing as had earlier towers in past earthquakes. In January 2012, the bells were replaced with new ones that were cast by blacksmith Friedrich Wilhelm Schilling from

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

, Germany, in 1958. According to the new marker installed by Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, the newly installed bells are the largest bells that are in active use in the Philippines. Seven carillon bells weighing were permanently installed in the ground level of the belfry.

Restoration (2012–2014)

In 2010, the cathedral failed the standards of the National Structural Code of the Philippines as cracks were detected in some critical sections. After Cardinal

Luis Antonio Tagle Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle ( , ; born June 21, 1957) is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church, and has been the Dicastery for Evangelization, Pro-Prefect for the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches of the Dicastery fo ...

assumed his post as Archbishop of Manila in December 2011, one of his first decisions was to close the cathedral. Following the 2012 Negros earthquake and structural concerns, the cathedral temporarily closed on February 7 for repairs, earthquake retrofitting and

subsidence Subsidence is a general term for downward vertical movement of the Earth's surface, which can be caused by both natural processes and human activities. Subsidence involves little or no horizontal movement, which distinguishes it from slope mov ...

prevention. During this time, Paco Church was designated as the

pro-cathedral A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish Church (building), church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefect ...

of the Archdiocese of Manila. Restoration was expected to be completed in 2013 but the initial deadline was missed. The cathedral's rector at the time,

Monsignor Monsignor (; ) is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons.... or Msgr. In some ...

Nestor Cerbo, stated that renovations would be finished by March 25, 2014. New features included

closed-circuit television Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...

(CCTV) cameras, large, flat-screen television screens, improved audio-video systems, and improved interior and exterior LED lights. Restoration finished on the planned date and the Manila Cathedral was reopened to the general public on April 9, 2014. Archbishop Cardinal Tagle presided a Holy Mass that was attended by President Benigno Aquino III. Allan Jay Quesada - Manila Cathedral 001

Allan Jay Quesada - Manila Cathedral 001

On January 16, 2015,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

celebrated his first Papal Mass in the Philippines at the cathedral as part of his apostolic visit to the country. Due to safety considerations, the Mass was closed to the public, accommodating only 2,000 bishops, priests, and religious persons.

60th post-war restoration anniversary (2017–2018)

The year-long celebrations commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Manila Cathedral's post-war restoration began with the opening of a historical exhibit on December 8, 2017. On December 18, the cathedral received a first-class blood

of Pope St. John Paul II. On October 27, 2018, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Thomas Aquino Manyo Maeda, then- Archbishop of Osaka, as his

for this occasion. In a letter to Cardinal Maeda on December 1, Francis called the cathedral the "mother and head of the churches" in the Philippines. The pope further wrote in his letter: Cardinal Maeda celebrated a fiesta Mass on December 8, 2018, concelebrated with Cardinal

(then-Archbishop of Manila), Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales (Archbishop-Emeritus of Manila), and Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia (then-Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines). The pope, through Cardinal Maeda, imparted his apostolic blessing to the cathedral. On December 10, 2018, Cardinal Tagle rededicated the altar in accordance with the rites prescribed by the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

; the dedication Mass was concelebrated by several bishops comprising the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), including its president at the time and the Archbishop of Davao, Romulo Valles, and Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, Archbishop-Emeritus of Cotabato.

Architecture and design

The Manila Cathedral was built in the Latin cross (cruciform) layout. Its northwest

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

, which is built in the Neo-Romanesque architecture style, is a replica of the façade of the previous cathedral, along with statues of famous saints sculpted in Roman travertine stone. Several of the artworks inside the basilica were made by Italian artists. In the previous cathedral, the statues were originally made of molave wood. The statue of Rose of Lima was sculpted by Angelo Fattinanzi;

Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...

Andrew Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...

and Anthony the Abbot were sculpted by Livia Papini; and

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, Jesuits, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Kingdom of Navarre, Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus ...

and

Polycarp Polycarp (; , ''Polýkarpos''; ; AD 69 155) was a Christian Metropolis of Smyrna, bishop of Smyrna. According to the ''Martyrdom of Polycarp'', he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his bo ...

were sculpted by Alcide Tico. Eight bronze panels sculpted by Alessandro Monteleone and Francesco Nagni dominate the central northwest doors of the cathedral. Each panel is wide and tall, depicting

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

s of the important events in the cathedral's history. The tympanum above the central doors bears the Latin inscription ("To thy Immaculate Heart, entrust us and consecrate us"). Two smaller doors on the left and right sides have also eight panels installed in each door, depicting invocations to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since

's apostolic visit to the basilica in 1981, a medallion bearing the papal arms has been placed beneath the cross of the façade and at the crossing above the high altar. The scarlet

galero A (plural: ; from , originally connoting a helmet made of skins; cf. '' galea'') is a broad-brimmed hat with tasselated strings which was worn by clergy in the Catholic Church. Over the centuries, the red ''galero'' was restricted to use by i ...

s of Cardinals Rufino Santos and Jaime Sin are also suspended from the dome's ceiling. A copy of the statue of St. Peter's Basilica titled ''Saint Peter Enthroned'' is placed across a

polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery, or sculpture in multiple colors. When looking at artworks and ...

, life-sized statue of the

. The bronze

baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...

and angel-shaped holy water fonts were made by Publio Morbiducci. The prominent mosaic of Jude Thaddeus was made by Marcello Mazzoli. In 1964, Filipino artist Galo Ocampo designed and made most of the cathedral's 134 modern

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows. The marble floors on the center aisle near the altar bears the coats of arms of four cardinal archbishops of Manila: Rufino Santos, Jaime Sin, Gaudencio Rosales, and Luis Antonio Tagle. File:Manila Cathedral - right side (Intramuros, Manila; 02-06-2021).jpg, Right side view of the façade, showing the patinated dome surmounted by a four-armed cross File:Manila Cathedral central nave 2022-11-27.jpg, The central nave, looking towards the sanctuary File:Manila Cathedral rib vaults and clerestory 2023-02-12.jpg,

Rib vault A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic a ...

s and clerestory File:Manila Cathedral Pipe Organ 2024-04-07.jpg, Pipe organ and rose window File:Manila Cathedral sanctuary 2023-05-28.jpg , The cathedra, newer high altar, pulpit, altar rail, and the ciborium (architecture), ciborium File:Manila Cathedral iron reja 2023-10-01.jpg, Iron reja File:Manila Cathedral canopy 2023-12-08.jpg, The older high altar and the image of the

File:Manila Cathedral dome 2023-05-28.jpg, Interior of the dome, with the suspended

of Cardinals Rufino Santos and Jaime Sin

Cathedra

The cathedra or episcopal throne of the Archbishop of Manila was installed in 1958 during the postwar reconstruction. It is made of Mexican onyx and marble from Carrara, Italy, and was designed and made by the Istituto Internazionale d’Arte Liturgica in Rome. The original cathedra bears the coat of arms of Rufino Santos before he was created a cardinal. His coat of arms and the Mexican onyx were covered by a stone until their restoration in 2021. The restored cathedra bears a carving of the coat of arms of Cardinal Jose Advincula, the present archbishop, imposed on top of white Indian marble.

Patroness

Manila Cathedral is dedicated to the

under the title of the

, who is honored as the Principal Patroness of the Philippines. The bronze statue, which was designed by Italian sculptor Vincenzo Assenza (1915–1981), is located above the high altar. Prior to 1988, the bronze statue was painted gold, though the twelve star Halo (religious iconography), halo-aureola is made of gold. Inscribed on the baldachin above the statue of the Immaculate Conception is the Latin antiphon ("Thou art all-beautiful, Mary, and the original sin, original stain [spot] (of sin) is not in thee"). In 1581,

issued a

consecrating the cathedral building to ''The Purest and Immaculate Conception of Mary''.

consecrated the City of Manila to Pudentiana, Saint Potenciana.

, on September 12, 1942, reiterated this patronage for the Filipino people to through the papal bull , while Saint Rose of Lima and Pudentiana, Saint Potenciana remained as the secondary patronesses of the Filipino people. The same pope, through "", reiterated this declaration of patronage on July 16, 1958, through the chancellor of apostolic briefs Gildo Brugnola, who signed and executed the decree. The cathedral celebrates its liturgical feast every December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Cathedral rectors

* Artemio Gabriel Casas (1956–1962) * Jose C. Abriol (1962–1975) * Augusto Pedrosa (1975–1985) * Domingo A. Cirilos Jr. (1985–1996) * Hernando M. Coronel (1996–2002) * Nestor C. Cerbo (2002–2015) * Reginald R. Malicdem (2015–2022) * Rolando R. Dela Cruz (2022–present)

Burials and funerals

The cathedral crypt is the resting place for former Archbishops of Manila and other prelates, whose corpses are located underneath the church complex and accessible by a stairway to the right of the altar: * Michael J. O'Doherty, the last foreign archbishop of Manila *Gabriel Reyes, Gabriel M. Reyes, the first Filipino people, Filipino archbishop of Manila *Cardinal Rufino Santos, Rufino J. Santos, the first Filipino cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal *Cardinal Jaime Sin, Jaime L. Sin, a prominent leader of the 1986 People Power Revolution *Dom Ambrose Agius, bishop and Apostolic Delegate to the Philippines (until 1945; remains transferred to the Our Lady of Montserrat Abbey (Manila), Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, Mendiola Street, Manila) Three former Presidents were permitted to lying in state, lie in state under the cathedral dome: *Emilio Aguinaldo, 1st president of the Philippines (1899-1901) (d.1964) *Carlos P. Garcia, 8th president of the Philippines (1957–1961) (d. 1971) *Corazon C. Aquino, 11th president of the Philippines (1986–1992) (d. 2009) President Aguinaldo was the first president to have a requiem mass said in the restored cathedral. Although he was a Freemason and was closely associated with the Aglipayan Church, his remains were taken to the cathedral and laid beneath the dome on February 14, 1964. Cardinal Rufino Santos officiated the Requiem Mass before the remains were taken to the Legislative Building for the state vigil. President Garcia was the first Catholic laity, layman to lie in state and have his Requiem Mass said at the cathedral; President Aquino was the third layperson and the first woman given this honor during Death and funeral of Corazon Aquino, her funeral. This broke with centuries of tradition that reserved the right of lying in state beneath the dome to Archbishops of Manila.

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Roman Catholic churches in Manila Roman Catholic cathedrals in the Philippines Buildings and structures in Intramuros Cultural Properties of the Philippines in Metro Manila Tourist attractions in Manila Romanesque Revival church buildings in the Philippines Basilica churches in the Philippines Roman Catholic churches completed in 1958 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the Philippines Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila Jubilee churches in the Philippines 1571 establishments in the Philippines

History

Parochial church (1571)

First cathedral (1581–1583)

Second cathedral (1592–1600)

Third cathedral (1614–1645)

Fourth cathedral (1671–1751)

Fifth cathedral (1760–1852)

Sixth cathedral (1858–1863)

Seventh cathedral (1879–1945)

Eighth cathedral (1958–present)

Restoration (2012–2014)

60th post-war restoration anniversary (2017–2018)

Architecture and design

Cathedra

Patroness

Cathedral rectors

Burials and funerals

See also

Notes

References

External links