Santo Domingo Church (Quezon City)

Santo Domingo Church, formally known as the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila, is a Roman Catholic parish church and national shrine in Quezon City, Metro Manila in the Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Cubao. Dedicated to Saint Dominic de Guzmán and Mary, mother of Jesus under her title Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary — La Naval de Manila, it was founded by the Dominicans in 1587.

The church complex serves as the motherhouse or headquarters of the Dominican Order of the Philippines. Originally located in Intramuros in the city of Manila, the church was transferred to its present location in Quezon City after the ravage and destruction during the Liberation of Manila in the Second World War.

History

The first Catholic missionaries to arrive in Manila were Spanish Augustinians who came in 1571 with Miguel López de Legazpi. The Franciscans came a few years later, in 1578. It was in 1587 that the first Dominicans arrived in Manila from Cádiz in Spain. They were welcomed by Domingo Salazar OP, the first Bishop of Manila. The order temporarily stayed at the Franciscan convent in Manila while some of them were sent north to Pangasinan and west to Bataan to begin missionary work.

Prior to its relocation, the original church in Intramuros consisted of five structures, each destroyed by fire, earthquakes, and lastly, bombardment from Imperial Japanese forces during World War II.

First church (1587–1589) Salazar sponsored 3,000 pesos for the construction of the church and 300 pesos for the purchase of land.Cultural Center of the Philippines (1994). CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art: Volume III. Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines. On January 1, 1588, the church (made of light materials) was inaugurated and it enshrined an image of Our Lady of the Rosary from Mexico.Bañas, R. C. (1937). Brief historical sketches of Philippine Catholic churches. Manila, Philippines: Commonwealth Press.

Second church (1592–1603) In 1589, the church was partially destroyed by an earthquake. As the roof had collapsed, the Dominicans decided to build a larger church made of stronger material. Through the direction of Father Alonzo Jiménez, the second church was made from stone. Contributions were given by María Pérez, Captain Domingo Mendiola, and a certain Captain Castillo. The church was inaugurated on April 9, 1592. It was destroyed by a fire on April 30, 1603, which also destroyed a third of the walled city of Intramuros.

Third church (early 17th century) Almost immediately after the 1603 fire, a bigger and costlier third church was built. It contained a stone vault as precaution against fire and earthquake; and donations were used to fund construction. Though made of stone, it was destroyed by another earthquake on November 30, 1645, leaving only the high altar standing.

Fourth church (1862–1863) A fourth church of stone and hardwood was built. It had wooden arches and wooden posts supporting the roof, thus dividing it into three naves. The artistic interior designs were executed under the direction of Father Francisco Gainza. The church took two years to build, and its structural soundness made it last for 250 years. Initiated by Father Castro, a new façade was planned. Flanked by two towers, it was patterned after London's St Paul's Cathedral, designed by Christopher Wren. Work on the façade alone lasted almost a year. The church was inaugurated on June 15, 1862. On June 3, 1863, it was destroyed by a strong earthquake which also destroyed the Manila Cathedral, also located in Intramuros.

Fifth church (1868–1941)

A few months after the 1863 earthquake, Félix Róxas presented a plan for the church's reconstruction, partly following the plan of the previous church and utilizing some of its salvageable parts. On August 30, 1864, the cornerstone of the fifth structure was laid. In it was placed a lead box, containing art objects, gold coins, medals of saints and other things belonging to the . Construction occurred from 1864 to 1887 in the neo-Gothic style, using Philippine building materials. The immense columns resembling spreading tree branches, were of acle, molave and ipil. The vault was of zinc or galvanized iron. The stained glass windows were ordered from Europe. The four retablos were made under the direction of Father Joaquín Sabater, a professor of drawing at the University of Santo Tomás. Alberoni directed the painting of the main altar.

The church measured at the central aisles, and high at the lateral aisles. Its towers rose to . Although Fr. Sixto and Fr. Ristoro would supervise construction of the church, the Dominicans contracted the services of the European-trained architect Félix Roxas, Sr. Roxas, adapting the seismic realities, designed a church with story of stone an upper story of wood. He worked closely with Isabelo Tampinco who decorated the interior with carving imitating the fan vault reminiscent of the English Gothic; the walls and ceiling of the sacristy were similarly treated. Even the furniture in the sacristy was treated in the Gothic manner. The chapel of the had an altar with lancet arches and Gothic-inspired ornamented pinnacles. Its floor was made of native molave and narra and the pulpit was of fine carving, with the images representing the different saints of the Order. A dove was attached to the sounding board of the pulpit, above which, was an angel. The choir loft was spacious and was protected by wrought from railing manufactured in the Philippines. Over the central doorway, on the roof was enclosed in a glass case original Virgin of the Rosary, which had been there for many centuries. The central altar had three saints. At the center was Saint Dominic, at the left was Saint Francis and at the right was Saint Theresa of Jesus. Above Saint Dominic was the statue of Saint Mary Magdalene. The cupola above had many colored glass windows. Inside was a balcony surrounded by iron railing.

Our Lady of the Rosary had a separate chapel at the right of the high altar. This image was donated by the Governor-General Luis Pérez Dasmariñas and carved by a Chinese, under competent direction. Many persons claim to have secured much help from this marvelous image especially from women, who placed the skirt of the image over their abdomen during their difficult delivery. It was recorded that this image saved the island during the Dutch invasions of 1646 and that on October 5, 1907, it was canonically crowned. Its ivory hands and face, costly garments and crown were very artistic. Saint Dominic was at the left of the image, kneeling and receiving a rosary, while at the right was Saint Catherine of Siena. In the same chapel, there were two more lofty altars. The one at the right, was dedicated to Saint Vincent Ferrer, and the other on the left, to the Holy Family. In this chapel, the interesting historical canvas, painted in Rome in 1909, represented the priest, Saint Dominic, baptizing a Chinese while the two other natives stand watching him. Near this chapel was the sacristy in which were the chests of camagon with their fine carvings. These chests contained the costly vestments of the priests. A big crucifix was at one end of the hall near a stairway leading to the monastery. Below this image there was a half-length portrait of the Virgin Dolores. On the walls of sacristy, there were canvases of interest and value from a religious standpoint. There were four more altars in the main church. The two on the left were dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and Saint Thomas respectively; the two on the right to Our Savior and to Saint Joseph. Below the Crucifix was the "" which could be seen thru the glass cover. From the lofty ceiling of the church, there were costly and heavy chandeliers, and on the lateral walls, there were images carved in wood, showing the different stages of the life of Christ.

The church incurred damage over time and was repaired. In 1887, the vault and the rose windows of batikuling were restored. The main altar was almost totally renovated, and the columns repaired. The roof of the bell towers was renovated to assume a crown-like form.

On December 27, 1941, this incarnation of the church, as well as the monastery beside it, was destroyed at the advent of the Second World War. This was the first church to be ruined during the Pacific War. The friars, archives, the image of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of La Naval and other movable property like ivory statues, gala vestments of the Virgin; jewelry, and sacred vessels were the only survivors of the war. The image was transferred to Santísimo Rosario Church at the University of Santo Tomás (UST) in España, Manila.Jose, R. T., & Ayala Museum (1991). Simbahan: Church art in colonial Philippines, 1565-1898. Metro Manila, Philippines: Ayala Museum. The ruins were subsequently demolished. The site is now a financial hub with occupants including Bank of the Philippine Islands, with a historical marker reminding visitors of what used to stand on the site.

Sixth and current church (1954–present)

After the Second World War, the Dominicans constructed the sixth church in a new location. They built it on a portion of land they had purchased in Quezon City. The Dominicans commissioned José María Zaragoza to design the building while he was still a student of architecture at the University of Santo Tomas. Construction began in 1952 and was inaugurated on October 12, 1954. During the first few days of the new church, three boys playing on the grounds of the church were seen and recruited them by then Prior of the church, Fr. Pedro Tejeron, O.P. They were 13-year-old Augustus C.A. Feria, his brother 11-year-old Victory A. Feria and their nephew, 11-year-old Vicente F. Sison. On another note, Edilberto P. Feria and his brother, Reynaldo P. Feria joined the first Tiple of the Santo Domingo Church.

The icon of Our Lady of La Naval, previously enshrined at the University of Santo Tomas after the original Intramuros church was destroyed, was brought to the new church in 1957 in a procession.

On February 23, 1972, the church was established as a parish church.

The Dominicans endorsed the designation of the church as a National Culture Treasure to the National Museum of the Philippines in 2011. It has been listed as such following the signing of a museum declaration on October 4, 2012, during the enthronement rites of the image of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary — La Naval de Manila. and unveiling of the official marker on December 8, 2012. The declaration is the highest distinction the government can confer on a cultural property. The declaration follows Republic Act No. 4846, otherwise known as the Cultural Properties Preservation and Protection Act. It is the first national cultural treasure listed in Quezon City.

Architecture

The church was built in the Art Deco combined with Spanish Modern style, which was unlike the Baroque churches built during the Spanish period. The church employed the latest technique in reinforced-concrete building.Diocese of Cubao. (n.D.) The Mission-style architecture includes Romanesque and Gothic designs that accommodate more space. Measuring with a height of , the church occupies a total floor area of . It is the biggest church in Metro Manila and one of the biggest churches in Asia.

The church façade has receding planes with leaves designed in corbel arches. Over the triple portals of the church is a high-relief frieze depicting the story of . The giant bas-relief of Santo Domingo was designed by the Italian sculptor and expatriate Francesco Monti.

In the nave of the church there are eight colorful murals by National Artist Carlos Francisco depicting the life and times of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, the Spaniard who founded the Order of Preachers. Francisco's murals are just below the equally brilliant murals of the Four Evangelists in vivid brown tones by Antonio García Llamas.