Manila Cathedral - History

History

The cathedral originally started as the Church of Manila and was officially established in 1571 by a secular priest, Padre Juan de Vivero, who arrived in Manila Bay in 1566. De Vivero, the chaplain on the galleon of San Geronimo, 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.

Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the conquistador of the city, chose the location of the church and placed under the patronage of Santa Potenciana. The first parish priest of the church was Padre Juan de Villanueva.

When the church was raised to 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.

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 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 1958. The seventh cathedral was constructed from 1870 to 1879. It was solemnly blessed in December 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.

The present cathedral was constructed from 1954 to 1958 during the tenure of Cardinal Rufino Jiao Santos and under the supervision of the notable Filipino architect Fernando H. Ocampo.

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 was struck 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 Crispulo Zamora.

In 1970, Pope Paul VI made an apostolic visit and celebrated Mass in the cathedral. Blessed 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. The papal bull was co-signed and attested by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Agostino Casaroli. In the same papal bull, Pope John Paul II reiterated that the papal decree of June 6, 1968, from Pope Paul VI be eternally preserved and enforced to the merits and titles of the cathedral as its own basilica.

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.

In February 2011, the Archdiocese of Manila relocated the bells of the cathedral to the ground level to prevent tower collapse as exhibited in the past earthquakes. In January 2012, the cathedral replaced the bells, personally foundered by German blacksmith Friedrich Wilhelm Schilling from Heidelberg, Germany in 1958. According to the new marker installed by Cardinal Gaudencio 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 17 metric tons.

Presently, the cathedral is closed for a period of approximately one year starting February 7. Such temporary closure of the Cathedral is for the repair of several structural defects which could endanger the building should a strong earthquake take place as well as surveys that show that the building rests on soft ground. The San Fernando de Dilao Parish Church in Paco, Manila is the temporary official church of the Archdiocese until the repairs of the Manila Cathedral are finished. Also, weekday masses in the Cathedral are temporarily moved to the Manila Archbishop's Palace.