The Manila Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica (Filipino: Metropolitanong Katedral Basílika ng Maynilà; Spanish: Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de Manila), informally known as Manila Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic basilica located in Manila, Philippines, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the Principal Patroness of the Philippines. The cathedral serves as the see of the Archbishop of Manila, the de facto Primate of the Philippines.
The cathedral was originally the "church of Manila" 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 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 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. 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. 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.
Plaza de Roma, also known as Plaza Roma, is one of two major public squares in Intramuros.
During Spanish colonial times, the plaza was the Plaza Mayor of Manila, and was thus considered the center of the city, with bullfights and other public events being held in the plaza until Governor-General Rafael Maria de Aguilar converted it into a garden in 1797. It was also often referred to as the Plaza de Armas (not to be confused with the Plaza de Armas inside Fort Santiago) during this time. In 1901, with the start of American rule, the plaza was renamed Plaza McKinley, after U.S. President William McKinley, who authorized the colonization of the Philippines by the United States. The plaza was given its current name in 1961, following the elevation of Rufino Santos to the College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church as the first Filipino cardinal. In recognition of this, the city of Rome reciprocated by subsequently renaming one of its squares Piazzale Manila.
Its current configuration as a garden does not anymore allow Plaza de Roma to function as a public square like Plaza Miranda and Plaza Moriones. However, the Intramuros Administration plans to revert the square to its appearance in the Spanish Era.
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| Portrait of the Manila Cathedral before the 1880 earthquake. Note the octagonal, pagoda-like belfry, showing the influence of Chinese artisans on Filipino ecclesial architecture of the time. |
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| The high altar |
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Manila Cathedral belfry after
the 1880 earthquake
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| The patinated dome of the cathedral and its four-armed cross |
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| Interior of the Manila Cathedral |
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| The central nave and vaulted ceiling of the cathedral |
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| The vaulted ceiling of the cathedral |
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| A wedding at the high altar |
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| Damaged during world war March 1945 |
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| Reconstruction of the Manila Cathedral, 1954-1958 |
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| Manila Cathedral after the 1883 earthquake |
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