Manila Cathedral

The Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception ( fil, Basilika Menor at Kalakhang Katedral ng Kalinis-linisang Paglilihi; es, Basílica Menor y Catedral Metropolitana de la Inmaculada Concepción), also known as the Manila Cathedral ( es, Catedral de Manila), is the cathedral of Manila and basilica located in Intramuros, the historic walled city within today's modern city of Manila, Philippines. It is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Patroness of the country. The cathedral serves as the episcopal seat of the Archbishop of Manila.

The cathedral was originally a parish church in Manila under the Archdiocese of Mexico in 1571, until it became a separate diocese on February 6, 1579, upon the issuance of the papal bull, by Pope Gregory XIII."The First Cathedral:1581 – 1583"
Manila Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica. Retrieved on November 24, 2011. The cathedral was damaged and destroyed several times since the original structure was built in 1581 while the eighth and current structure of the cathedral was completed in 1958.
Manila Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.

The basilica has merited a papal endorsement from Pope Gregory XIII and three apostolic visits from Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis. On April 27, 1981, Pope John Paul II issued papal bull designating the cathedral as a minor basilica by his own .(1981-04-27)
"Quod Ipsum"
Litterae Apostolicae. Ioannem Paulum Secundum, Papam. Manillensis Archidiocesis.

History

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

Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi chose the location of the church and placed it under the patronage of Santa Potenciana. The first parish priest of the church was Fray Juan de Villanueva."The Church before it became a Cathedral : 1571"
Manila Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.

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

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

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

In 1937, the International Eucharistic Congress was held in the Philippines in which the cathedral played an integral part in promoting eucharistic beliefs. Both a cathedral stamp and medal were unveiled in commemoration of the event and was made by the official manufacturer of medals for the Congress of the Philippines at the time, the sculptor Críspulo Zamora.This incarnation of the cathedral was reduced to rubble by the Japanese in a scorched-earth defense in 1945 during the Battle of Manila, as the Second World War neared its conclusion.

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

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

The cathedral's 50th restoration anniversary was celebrated in 2008, highlighted by the second Manila Cathedral Pipe Organ Festival from December 2 to 10, organized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. The cathedral's pipe organ itself, which consists of 5,584 pipes, is one of the largest pipe organs in the country and 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 occurred in past earthquakes. In January 2012, the bells were replaced with new ones personally cast by blacksmith Friedrich Wilhelm Schilling from Heidelberg, Germany in 1958. According to the new marker installed by Manila Archbishop Most Rev. Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales, , the newly installed bells are the largest bells actively used in the Philippines. A total of seven carillon bells were permanently installed in the ground level of the belfry, weighing at .

2012 renovation and 2014 reopening

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

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

Pontifical visit (2015)

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

Patroness

* Pope Gregory XIII in 1581 issued a papal bull consecrating the cathedral building to ''The Purest and Immaculate Conception of Mary'', while Miguel López de Legazpi consecrated the city of Manila to Saint Potenciana.
* Pope Pius XII on September 12, 1942, reiterated this patronage for the Filipino people to '' La Purísima Inmaculada Concepción'' through the papal bull ''Impositi Nobis'', while Saint Rose of Lima and Saint Potenciana remained as the secondary patronesses of the Filipino people. The same Pontiff through ''“Quidquid ad Dilatandum”'' reiterated this declaration of patronage on July 16, 1958, through the chancellor of apostolic briefs, Gildo Brugnola, who signed and executed the decree.

Shrine rectors

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

Burials and funerals

The cathedral crypt is the resting place for former archbishops of Manila and a few other prelates, 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 M. Reyes, the first Filipino archbishop of Manila
* Rufino J. Cardinal Santos, the first Filipino cardinal
* Jaime L. Cardinal Sin, a prominent leader of the 1986 People Power Revolution
* Dom Ambrose Agius, bishop and Apostolic Delegate to the Philippines (until 1945; remains transferred to the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, Mendiola Street, Manila)

Three former presidents were permitted to 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 brought to the cathedral and laid beneath the dome on February 14, 1964. Rufino J. Cardinal Santos officiated the requiem mass before the remains were brought to the Legislative Building for the state vigil. President Garcia was the first 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 honour during her funeral. This broke with centuries of tradition that reserved the right of lying-in-state beneath the dome to archbishops of Manila.

Details of the shrine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cathedra

The cathedra or episcopal throne of the Archbishop of Manila was installed during the postwar reconstruction in 1958. 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 then Archbishop Rufino Santos before he was created a cardinal. His coat of arms and the Mexican onyx was covered by a stone until its restoration in 2021.

The restored cathedra now bears a carving of the coat of arms Cardinal Jose Advincula, the present archbishop, imposed on top of white Indian marble.

Gallery

File:Manila Cathedral Facade.JPG, Façade
File:Manila, Manila Cathedral, Philippines.jpg, Façade with dome
File:Manila Cathedral (1899).jpg, The cathedral in 1899
File:Manila Cathedral guardia civil.jpg, The cathedral with the Charles IV monument
File:Manila Cathedral dome & facade crosses.jpg, The patinated dome surmounted by a four-armed cross
File:FvfManilaCathedral8556 01.JPG, The central nave, looking down from the sanctuary
File:FvfManilaCathedral8556 07.JPG, The rib vaults of the three naves
File:FvfManilaCathedral8410 06.JPG, The clerestory
File:Cattedrale di Manila, esposizione dell'icona Caesarius Diaconus, opera dell'artista Giovanni Guida.jpg, The cathedra, newer high altar, pulpit, and altar rail
File:Manila Cathedral Altar side view (Palm Sunday) 2022-04-10.jpg, The high altar view from the side during Palm Sunday
File:Manila Cathedral Wedding.jpg, The sanctuary during a wedding, with the older high altar and image of the Immaculate Conception under the ciborium at the back
File:FvfManilaCathedral9954 24.JPG, The high altar, with the image of the Immaculate Conception veiled for Holy Week
File:FvfManilaCathedral8552 01.JPG, Iron reja
File:FvfManilaCathedral8556 02.JPG, The marble steps and columns of the older high altar
File:FvfManilaCathedral8440 05.JPG, Interior of the dome, with the suspended galero of Cardinal Sin
File:FvfManilaCathedral8588 21.JPG, Façade at night

See also

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

Notes

References

External links

Official website of Manila Cathedral

{{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