| Manila Cathedral | |
| Manila Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica | |
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Façade of Manila Cathedral and a view of the dome
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Manila Cathedral
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| Location | Manila |
| Country | Philippines |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | Manila Cathedral Official Website |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Church of Manila |
| Founded | 1571 |
| Founder(s) | Jose de Vivero |
| Dedication | Our Lady of Immaculate Conception |
| Significant past bishop(s) | Rufino Santos (1953-1974) Jaime Sin (1974-2003) |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Minor Basilica |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Fernando H. Ocampo |
| Architectural type | Cathedral |
| Style | Neo-Romanesque |
| Groundbreaking | 1954 |
| Completed | 1958 |
| Specifications | |
| Number of domes | One |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Manila |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle |
| Rector | Monsignor Nestor Cerbo |
The Manila Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica (also known as the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and informally as Manila Cathedral) is a prominent Latin Rite Roman Catholic basilica located in Manila, Philippines, honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the Patroness of the Philippines. Located in the Intramuros district of Manila in the Philippines, it was originally a parish church owned and governed by the diocese of Mexico in 1571, until it became a separate diocese on February 6, 1579 upon the issuance of a Papal bull by Pope Gregory XIII.[1]
The cathedral serves both as the Prime Basilica of the Philippines and highest seat of the archbishop in the country. The cathedral was damaged and destroyed several times since the original cathedral was built in 1581. The eighth and current incarnation of the cathedral was completed in 1958 and was consecrated as a minor basilica in 1981 by Blessed Pope John Paul II.[2] The current-elect for the Apostolic Papal Nuncio of the Philippines is Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto. It is the highest seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of the Philippines, while the present Archpriest of the Basilica-Cathedral is Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle, the de facto Primate of the Philippines.
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The cathedral started as the Church of Manila established in 1571 by secular Juan de Vivero after the city came under Spanish rule on June 24th.[3] De Vivero, the chaplain on the galleon of San Geronimo, was sent by the Archbishop of Mexico to establish spiritual administraion in the new colony in the Philippines.
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the conquistador of the city, chose the location of the church and placed the patronage of Santa Potenciana. The first parish priest of the church is Juan de Villanueva.[4] In 1942, Pope Pius XII declared Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception as Principal Patroness through the Papal Bull Impositi Nobis.
When the church was raised into a cathedral in 1579, a new structure made from nipa, wood and bamboo was constructed in 1581 by Bishop Domingo de Salazar, the first 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.[1]
The second cathedral, which was made of stone, was built in 1592. 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 was toppled by another earthquake which shook Manila in 1645.
The magnificent fourth cathedral was constructed from 1654 to 1671. It was severely damaged in 1863 by a very strong earthquake that also damaged the Palace of the Governor General of the Philippines. In 1880, another earthquake toppled its bell tower, rendering the cathedral towerless until 1959.
The seventh cathedral was constructed from 1870–1879. It was solemnly blessed in December of 1879. The cross atop the central dome is a reference point of astronomical longitudes of the archipelago. This incarnation of the cathedral was reduced to rubble by the bombing in 1945 during the Battle of Manila.
In 1942, Pope Pius XII dedicated the cathedral to La Purisima Inmaculada Concepcion through a Papal Bull called Impositi Nobis, while Saint Rose of Lima and Saint Pudentiana remained as the secondary patroness of the Filipino people.
The present cathedral was constructed from 1954 to 1958 during the tenure of Manila Archbishop Rufino Jiao Cardinal Santos, and under the supervision of architect Fernando H. Ocampo.
Two Popes have celebrated Mass in the present Cathedral, Pope Paul VI in 1971 and Blessed Pope John Paul II in 1982, in which he elevated it to the rank of a Minor Basilica through a Motu Proprio.
In 2008, the Cathedral's 50th restoration anniversary was celebrated highlighted by the second Manila Cathedral Pipe Organ Festival from December 2 to 10, organized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).[5]
The cathedral is the resting place for former prelates who have served the Archdiocese of Manila. Among those interred in the cathedral crypts (similar in style to that of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City) are:
It also hosted two funerals for two former Presidents of the Philippines:
The Cathedral was recently used as a venue for the wake and requiem mass for former President of the Philippines Corazon Aquino, who died on August 1, 2009. In an unprecedented move by the Archdiocese of Manila, protocol was not observed in permitting Aquino's remains to lie in state at the Cathedral, making her the first woman to have been permitted to do lie in state, as only Archbishops of Manila are accorded this honor. Former president Carlos P. Garcia was the first layperson to lie in state and have a requiem mass at the cathedral.[6]
Among the notable rectors of the cathedral were Rev. Msgr. Domingo Cirilos (1985 to 1996), the current parish priest of San Fernando de Dilao Parish in Paco, Manila, and Rev. Msgr. Hernando Coronel (1996 to 2002), the current rector of the archdiocesan seminary, San Carlos Seminary in Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City. The present rector since 2002 is Msgr. Nestor Cerbo, a former formator and was the Vice-Rector of San Carlos.
The main façade of the Manila Cathedral is a replica of the façade of the previous cathedral, graced by statues of famous saints sculpted in Roman travertine stone. In the previous cathedral, they were originally made of molave wood.
The saints are St. Rose of Lima, patroness of the Philippines by sculptor Angelo Fattinanzi; St. Jacob the Greater, St. Andrew the Apostle, preacher of the faith in many corners of Asia and patron saint of Manila, and St. Anthony the Abbott, founder of Christian monasticism, by sculptress Livia Papini; St. Francis Xavier, apostle of the Indies and St. Polycarp, old bishop of Smyrna, by Alcide Tico.[7]