Joanne Ll. Lopez

QUIAPO CHURCH

Quiapo Church, officially known as Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, is a Roman Catholic Church located in the District of Quiapo, Manila, in the Philippines. The Quiapo Church also known as the "Church of Black Nazarene" and in tagalog "Basilika ng Nazareno" houses a large black wooden statue of Christ bearing the Cross ( the Black Nazarene). This crucifix was carved in Mexico and brought to the Philippines from Mexico by Spanish galleon in 1767. It is said to have miraculous powers.The church is one of the most popular churches in the country. It is home to the Black Nazarene, a much venerated statue of Jesus Christ which many people believe has miraculous attributes. The church was painted cream after the original Mexican baroque edifice was burned down in 1928. Also known as St. John the Baptist Parish, the church at present belongs to the Archdiocese of Manila. The current rector is Rev. Msgr. Jose Clemente Ignacio, who succeeded Msgr. Josefino Ramirez (the Vicar Generalof the archdiocese) upon the latter's appointment as rector of the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Maysilo, Mandaluyong City.

The Augustinian Recollect Friars brought the image of the Black Nazarene to the Church of San Juan Bautista in Bagumbayan, now part of Luneta/Rizal Park on May 31, 1606. The image was transferred to the bigger Recollect church of San Nicolas de Tolentino in 1608. In 1787, Basilio Sancho de Santas Junta y Rufina, S.P., then Archbishop of Manila, ordered the transfer of the image to the Church of Quiapo.

The Quiapo Church holds a weekly novena every Friday and a procession every year on January 9 devoted to the Black Nazarene. Both are attended by thousands of devotees. Many sick people come to see the Black Nazarene, hoping that getting a chance to pray in front of its miraculous image would heal their sicknesses.

IMAGES OF THE QUIAPO CHURCH

Decena, Jesica Ann L.

Luneta Hotel

The Luneta Hotel along Teodoro M. Kalaw St. corner Dewey Boulevard (now Roxas Boulevard) faces Manila Bay.

Luneta Hotel was built in 1918 and was considered one of the few remaining French inspired architecture in Manila that stood the test of time. The National Historical Institute already declared Luneta Hotel as a National Historical Landmark.

Currently, Luneta Hotel is an abandoned building and the surroundings was converted into a parking space for rent.

According to some online forums, Luneta hotel is now being managed by PAGCOR and rumored to be transformed as Manila’s newest Casino.

TRIVIA:

During the Japanese Occupation in Manila, Walter Dempster Jr also known as Walterina Marcova; popularly known for his movie Comfort Gay portrayed by Dolphy, experienced Japanese Soldiers Brutality in this hotel.

Luneta Hotel before the World War II

Joanne Ll. Lopez

MANILA CATHEDRAL

The Manila Cathedral is the ecclesiastical seat of the Archdiocese of Manila. In Spanish colonial times, this was the seat of the Spanish Archbishop of Manila, who had jurisdiction over the entire archipelago. This structure is actually the sixth church to occupy the site.

The first one, built in 1581, was razed to the ground two years after it was built. The present structure was completed in 1958. The main façade of the Manila Cathedral is graced by statues of famous saints sculpted in Roman travertine stone. In the old cathedral, they were originally made of molave wood.

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 Ocampo. It was elevated to the rank of minor basilica in 1981 by Pope john Paul II.

The Cathedral's crypts serve as a final resting place for former Archbishops of Manila, just as the crypts of St. Peter's in the Vatican do for the bodies of former Popes. Among those interred in the Cathedral's crypts is Jaime Cardinal Sin, one of the ringleaders of the 1986 Edsa Revolution that ousted the dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

IMAGES OF THE MANILA CATHEDRAL

Hernandez, Guilbert Mark M.

1. The Main Building of University of Santo Tomas



Location: España, Sampaloc, Manila
Architectural Style: Renaissance
Owner: Dominicans
Construction Started: 1924
Inaugurated: 1927
Height: 51.5 metres (169 ft.)
Diameter: 86 m x 74 m
Floor count: four
Cost: 1.5 million (Philippine peso)
Structural Engineer: Rev. Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P.

--The Main Building of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila, Philippines functions as the university's administrative center and home of the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Pharmacy and the College of Science. The Main Building is also the home of the Beato Angelico Gallery and the Museum of Arts and Science.

It has the distinction of being the first earthquake-proof building in the country. Designed by Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P., priest and engineer, the building is composed of forty independent structures separated from each other by a gap of one inch, which is filled with loose cement. One of these structures rises beyond the level of the fourth floor to form the tower in the center of the huge box-like stone mass. A cross atop the tower rivets the gaze of the beholder. It promises the student a Christian perspective, a Christian formation. It symbolizes the University's mission to impart knowledge in the sacred and civil sciences.


2. The Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva


Location: Miag-ao, Iloilo
Architectural Style: Baroque-Romanesque
Owner: Spanish Augustinian
Construction Started: 1787

--The Miag-ao Church was built in 1787 by Spanish Augustinian missionaries and was declared as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Baroque Churches of the Philippines" in 1993. On the front facade, which is flanked by two watchtower belfries, one can see the unique blending of Spanish and native influences.

The Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva withstood the occasional attacks from Muslims coming from the south. The church and its watchtowers had been built with
thick walls and secret passages to defend the town and its people. The defensive purpose of the Church led to the popular name The Miag-ao Fortress Church.


OTHER PHOTOS of the MIAG-AO CHURCH:



Signage of the Miag-ao Church




Altar of the Church