Purveyor of Knowledge and Emerging Publisher of Content and Visually Driven Books

October 4, 2025

The History of the Manila Cathedral


Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org

The History of the Manila Cathedral
by: Jericho Paul C. Santos

November 2011–The year was 1521, as Ferdinand Magellan set foot in the Philippines, it marked the arrival of Catholicism in the Philippines. The Spanish colonization paved way for the spread of Christianity and the era of Western church architecture in the Philippines. During the three centuries of colonization, it produced grandly design churches; one of these is the Manila Cathedral.

The present Manila Cathedral, situated at the heart of the walled city of Intramuros has gone several major reconstructions since its inception. The Neo-Romanesque-Byzantine cathedral has long been the seat of archbishop in the Philippines. And it continuous to be one of the most admired churches in the country.


Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org

The Seat of Spain’s Ecclesiastical Rule

The Manila Cathedral of today features Romanesque facade and beautiful cupola but its humble beginning is a far cry from when it was first built.

Mandated with the mission of the sword and the cross, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, occupied Manila in 1571. Then the Spanish conquistador assigned an area for his new settlement for a church. The cathedral was known as Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate under the patronage of the La Purisima Immaculada Conception.


La Purisima Immaculada Conception
Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org


The church was made of the common structural materials of that time. The main materials used are nipa, wood and bamboo. The fire that razed the city in 1583 prompted the first reconstruction of the church.

The second cathedral was erected using stone as its main structure. It was an arduous task to complete the stone church. And in a country where natural calamities are common all year round, the cathedral was again hit hard by disasters. Earthquakes and strong typhoons lead to the devastation of the cathedral.

In 1614, the new stone cathedral was built. The architectural design consists of naves, chapels and altars. Another earthquake toppled the church in 1645 and left everything in ruins.

Introduction of Different Architectural Design

During 1681-1863, the cathedral repeatedly rose from ruins only to pick itself up again from the rubbles. On the architectural perspective it gave opportunity to introduce a new style in every restoration that has been made.


Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org

From an ordinary stoned cathedral rose a cathedral design contained with numerous altars and chapels. It had an imposing bell tower with a clock on the top. Inside the church are stained glass, molave woodwork and marble pavings. Ornaments, decorations and religious relics were either sourced from dignitaries, not to mention the poor citizens of the city who donated their precious pesos to maintain the high upkeep of the majestic cathedral.

In 1751, architect Juan de Uguccioni led the reconstruction of the cathedral into a baroques inspired architecture. However the 1852 earthquake destroyed parts of the cathedral and structurally weakened the other parts. The danger of a possible collapse is imminent therefore another reconstruction was made.


Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org


In 1858, it marked the completion of the restoration of the cathedral. This time the architectural design under Nicolas Valdes used the Neoclassic design. Then again in 1863, just like a cycle another earthquake struck and destroyed the church, the tragic event claimed lives to those inside the cathedral.

In 1879, Don Vicente Serrano y Salaverri employed the Romanesque-Byzantine style to the cathedral. His design has endured and has been adopted by the present cathedral. The interior was richly decorated, naves are spacious, the dome was raised on a fenestrated drum, and the arches are beautifully ornamented.


Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org

The cathedral’s last major restoration came after the ashes of World War II. In 1958, architect Fernando Ocampo was inspired by Serrano’s design but added more to its previous appearance to make it more functional to space. His Neo-Romanesque design is a combination of revival, renaissance and modern styles. The present cathedral is a product of the old cathedral’s great design mixed with Ocampo’s architectural touch.


Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org

The Manila Cathedral experienced a lot of looks in more than three centuries of cycle of rising and falling.  More importantly, it has witness history unfold in its surroundings. And more than just a structure, it has interwoven itself in the history of our country. The various challenges that it has endured showed that in the face of adversity one can rise to

REFERENCES

Boyer, Robert.  Sundays in Manila. Quezon City: University of the Philippine Press, 2010

Bloom, Greg.  Lonely Planet Philippines.  Amsterdam: Lonely Planet 2009

Madale, Nasagura. “A Look at Philippine Mosques.” National Commission for Culture and the Arts, 6 Oct. 2003. Web. 18 Oct. 2011

Antonio G. Dumlao: The Forgotten Great
Antonio G. Dumlao: The Forgotten Great
December 2011--In the not so distant past, Antonio Gonzales Dumlao was a big name in Philippine art. He was a contemporary of Fernando Amorsolo and Vicente Manansala who began his career during...
lee mas...
Raul Piedra's Textured Abstracts
Raul Piedra's Textured Abstracts
June 2016--Known for his textured abstract paintings, Raul Piedra, still a college student in 1970, staged his first solo exhibition at the University of the East where he featured his paintings of botanicals,...
lee mas...
Jose Zabala Santos (1911-1985)
Jose Zabala Santos (1911-1985)
March 2013--Jose Zabala Santos or “Mang Pepe” to his neighbors in Kuatro Kantos, Malabon, was born in Calumpit, Bulacan on July 20, 1911. He acquired his early drawing skills from his mother...
lee mas...
Poland's long-lost Raphael found
Poland's long-lost Raphael found
August 2012--Poland's long-lost masterpiece, attributed to Raphael and feared destroyed by many, has been re-discovered in a bank vault in an undisclosed location. Portrait of a Young Man, around 1513-1514,...
lee mas...
Alfredo Roces: Man of Arts and Letters (First of Two Parts)
Alfredo Roces: Man of Arts and Letters (First of Two Parts)
January 2016--Alfredo Roces holds a prominent place in the history of Philippine art. He is a painter who started a figurative style but soon began to amalgamate Expressionism, Fauvism and Impressionism...
lee mas...
Dex Fernandez As He Likes It
Dex Fernandez As He Likes It
August-September 2017 -- Dex Fernandez began his art career in 2007, painting a repertoire of phantasmagoric images inhabited by angry mountains, robots with a diminutive sidekick, triangle-shaped flying...
lee mas...
The Art and Life of Baidy Rico Mendoza
The Art and Life of Baidy Rico Mendoza
She is truly mystical. Of herself she declares, I am as old as the hills and as young as the clouds, and somebody said, as the mist. Baidy Rico Mendoza fashions her clay people out of disparate thingsit...
lee mas...
Break the Silence Over Fakes
Break the Silence Over Fakes
April 2012 -- The press has recently been full of reports about forgeries. In Europe, fakes by Wolfgang Beltracchi have embarrassed a number of experts and collectors. In the US, a painting purportedly...
lee mas...
Carcar, Cebu
Carcar, Cebu
July 2016-- Carcar has been established a component city of the Province of Cebu by virtue of Republic act 9436 which passed into law on April 15, 2007, and ratified by the people of carcar in a referendum...
lee mas...
Mario de Rivera: Shape and Color of Memory
Mario de Rivera: Shape and Color of Memory
August 2013--LIBERTAD in Mandaluyong City could be a typical street in busy Metro Manila with its row of apartments and the bustle of passing motorists. On number 26, a mix of potted plants flanked the...
lee mas...