ANNOUNCEMENT MEMORANDUM

The Manila Cathedral, also known as the minor basilica of the Immaculate Conception, was the seat of the Archbishop of Manila during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, and still remains the ecclesisastical seat of the Archdiocese of Manila.

The See of Manila, with jurisdiction over all the Philippine Islands and suffragan to the See of Mexico, was erected in 1578. The first bishop, Domingo de Salazar (born 1512), arrived in September 1581.

The first cathedral, made of nipa and bamboos, was built in 1581. It was damaged by a typhoon in 1582 and razed by fire in 1583.

The new cathedral, which was made of stone, was made in 1592. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1600.

The third cathedral, with three naves and seven chapels, was started in 1584 and blessed in 1614. It was toppled by another earthquake which shook Manila in 1645.

The magnificent fourth cathedral was constructed in 1654 to 1671 under Archbishop Miguel Poblete. It was severely damaged in 1863 by a very strong earthquake that even toppled the Palace of the Governor General of the Philippines. In 1880, another earthquake toppled its bell tower and since then until in 1959, the cathedral remained towerless.

The fifth cathedral was constructed in 1870–1879. It was solemnly blessed in December of 1879. The center cross of the dome is a reference point of astronomical longitudes of the archipelago. The magnificent cathedral was toppled into ruins by bombing in 1945.

The present cathedral was constructed in 1954 to 1958 under Archbishop Rufino Jiao Santos of Manila and under the supervision of National Artist for Architecture Awardee, Architect Fernando Ocampo. It was elevated into the rank of minor basilica in 1981 by Pope John Paul II.

The cathedral is also the resting place for former prelates who served the Archdiocese of Manila. Among those interred in the cathedral crypts (similar in style to that of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City) are Michael J. O'Doherty, the last American and foreigner Archbishop of Manila, Rufino Jiao Santos, the first Filipino cardinal, Gabriel Reyes, the first Filipino archbishop of Manila and Cardinal Jaime Sin, the prelate who is considered to be one of the leaders of the EDSA Revolution in the Philippines that ended the 20-year regime of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos.

Malate Church is renowned for two points of historical interest. It is dedicated to Nuestra Senora de Remedios (Our Lady of Remedies), an image of the Virgin Mary to whom the faithful have turned in times of trouble over four centuries. The church is also historically significant as the base from which the British launched their assault on Intramuros, which then placed Manila under British rule for a two-year period. The present weathered adobe structure is actually only over 100 years old, though various predecessors have stood on the site since the end of the 16th century.





Our Lady of Abandoned Church in Santa Ana, Manila
1578

The Church of Santa Ana stands on the site of the first Franciscan mission established outside Manila in 1578. The church was built under the supervision of Fr. Vicente Ingles, OFM. The cornerstone of the present church was laid on September 12, 1720 by Francisco dela Cuesta, then Archbishop of Manila and Acting Governor General of the Philippines. 
On October 1966, the inner patio and surrounding areas of this centuries-old church were excavated by the archaeologist team of the National Museum headed by Doctor Robert Fox. The project yielded rich materials on pre-Spanish Manila. The oldest artifact found in the inner patio of Santa Ana Church dates back to the late 11th century A.D. – a beautiful blue and white Chinese bowl with floral designs. The rest are potteries and Chinese artifacts which date back to the 12th and 13th centuries A.D.

Quiapo Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Quiapo, Manila, in the Philippines. 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; because of this the church is sometimes referred to as the "Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene". The foundations of the church was built in 1582 and survived the devastation of World War II despite surrounding builings being completely destroyed. The church was painted cream after the original Mexican Baroque edifice was burned down in 1928.

San Agustín Church, built between 1587 and 1606, is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines, and the only building left intact after the destruction of Intramuros during the Battle of Manila (1945). The present structure is actually the third to stand on the site and has survived seven major earthquakes, as well as the wars in Manila. The church remains under the care of the Augustinians who founded it.

The San Agustín Church lies inside the walled city of Intramuros located in the capital city Manila, Philippines. It is the first European stone church to be built in the Philippines designed in Spanish architectural structure. The church also houses the legacies of the Spanish conquistadors, Miguel López de Legazpi, Juan de Salcedo and Martín de Goiti who are buried and laid to rest in a tomb, underneath the church.

The church has 14 side chapels and a trompe-l'oeil ceiling. Up in the choir loft are the hand-carved 17th-century seats of molave, a beautiful tropical hardwood. Adjacent to the church is a small museum run by the Augustinian order, featuring antique vestments, colonial furniture, and religious paintings and icons.

Together with three other ancient churches in the country, it was designated as part of the World Heritage Site "Baroque Churches of the Philippines" in 1993.

The Basilica Minore de San Sebastian or, more known as San Sebastian Church, is the seat of the Parish of San Sebastian and the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. It is a fine example of the revival of Gothic architecture in the Philippines. It prides itself as the only all-steel basilica in Asia.[1] The church is under the care of The Order of the Augustinian Recollects and is located at Legarda Street, Quiapo, Manila.

History
In 1621, Don Bernardino Castillo, a generous patron and a well-known devotee of Saint Sebastian, martyr of Rome and patron of Archers, donated land which is the present site of the San Sebastian Church. The original church, which was made of wood, was burned in 1651 during a Chinese uprising. The succeeding structures were destroyed by fire and earthquakes in 1859, 1863, and 1880.

Fr. Esteban Martinez, the parish priest at that time, approached the Spanish architect, Genero Palacios, with a plan to build a fire and earthquake-resistant church made entirely of steel. Ambeth Ocampo states that the present San Sebastian church was ordered as knockdown steel parts from the Societe Anonyme des Enterprises de Travaux Publiques in Brussels.

Two Belgian engineers supervised the construction of the church. On June 12, 1888, the first shipment of steel parts arrived in the Philippines. It took two years for the church to be assembled, with local artists and craftsmen joining the Belgian firm in applying the final finishing touches on this new church of steel. The stained glass windows were imported from the Henri Oidtmann Company, a German stained glass firm. The engineering technique used in the construction of the church, including the metal fixtures and the overall structure, were from Gustave Eiffel, the creator of the Eiffel Tower. This was confirmed when Chinese-American architect, I. M. Pei, visited the Philippines in the late 1970s. He came to confirm what he heard that Gustave Eiffel designed a steel church in Asia.

Minor Basilica

Interior of Basilica Minore de San Sebastian.The Church of San Sebastian was raised to the status of a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII on June 24, 1890. The following year, on August 15, 1891, the all-steel church of San Sebastian was inaugurated and blessed. The interior of the church displays groined vaults in the Gothic architecture style. The steel columns, walls and ceiling were painted to resemble marble and jasper by Filipino artist Lorenzo Rocha and his students. True to the Gothic revival spirit of the church are its confessionals, pulpit and altars as designed by Filipino artist Lorenzo Guerrero. He, with fellow artist Eulogio Garcia, carved the statues of holy men and women. Trompe l'oeil paintings were used to decorate the interiors of the church.[2]

Preservation
The San Sebastian Church is a declared National Historical Landmark per Presidential Decree No. 260.[3] State funding was accorded to the church through the National Historical Institute which undertook restoration of the church in 1982. The Recollect community has likewise expended funds for the church's maintenance and restoration.

In addition, the church was listed among the 1998 World's Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Watch.[4] On May 16, 2006, San Sebastian Church was included in the Tentative list of the World Heritage Site citing its architectural and historical heritage.[5] The Basilica falls under criteria i, ii and iv will be included under category of cultural sites.

Binondo Church
Erected in 1596, Binondo Church is one of the oldest places of Christian worship in the Philippines, but over the centuries the original edifice has sustained considerable damage from earthquakes and other natural disasters. Today the octagonal bell tower is all that remains of the 16th century construction. The upkeep of the present church is largely funded by the Catholic Chinese community, many of whom reside or operate businesses in neighboring Chinatown.