Manila Cathedral


After San Sebastian Church, we proceeded to Intramuros and stayed there for thirty minutes. The wind in the area was cool, the sky was orange, and the over looking tall buildings, including Manila City Hall, are background perfect. There were a lot of students who were having their activities in the same location.

Before the sunset, we proceeded to our next destination, Manila Cathedral. This is my second time visiting this church, the first was in 2012, but I wasn't able to enter the church because it was still under construction. So, I consider this day as my first day.

Manila Cathedral or the Manila Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica is situated in the district of Intramuros in Manila. Originally, this church was the "Church of Manila" which was established and under the management of the Diocese of Mexico in 1571, but later in 1579 it became a separate diocese.

This church also faced different obstacles; the first structure was made of nipa, wood and bamboo and was damaged and destroyed several times because of fire. Later in 1592, it was reconstructed using stone. On the same location, in 1614, a third structure was built but was again destroyed by earthquake.  With the help of the Archbishop and pilgrims, a fourth structure was built. As the time goes by, replacement structures were also damaged several times. The structure that we are seeing today is the seventh structure, with Romanesque-Byzantine influences, constructed from 1870 to 1879. Although, there were a lot of restorations made.

 List of Archbishops of Manila Cathedral
The structure underwent to several reconstructions and retrofitting. Just recently in 2014, it was reopened after the retrofitting process; this is to make sure that the structure will withstand for any natural disasters like earthquake, after what happened to some century-old churches in Visayas. The recent interior looks great and has the modern touches. The ambiance inside the church is cool.

After taking some photos inside and out, we walked on the street at the right side of Manila Cathedral and proceeded to our next destination, click here: San Agustin Church. On the way, I noticed that there are old houses surrounding the area.

More photos and information about this travel, click here: 9 Old Churches in Metro Manila

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