Binondo Church
Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz
Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish
  • Basilica Menor at Pambansang Dambana ni San Lorenzo Ruiz at Parokya ng Mahal na Birhen ng Santo Rosaryo (Filipino)
  • Basílica Menor y Santuario Nacional de San Lorenzo Ruiz y Parroquia de Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario (Spanish)
The basilica in April 2023
14°36′01″N 120°58′29″E / 14.60021°N 120.97470°E / 14.60021; 120.97470
LocationBinondo, Manila
CountryPhilippines
Language(s)Filipino, Mandarin, Hokkien, and English
DenominationRoman Catholic
WebsiteBinondo Church
History
StatusMinor Basilica,
National shrine
Founded1596 (1596)
Founder(s)Dominican priests
DedicationSaint Lorenzo Ruiz
Other dedicationOur Lady of the Most Holy Rosary
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeChurch building
StyleBaroque
Completed1852 (1852)
Specifications
Number of domes1
Number of towers1
MaterialsGranite
Administration
ArchdioceseManila
DeanerySanto Niño[1]
ParishOur Lady of the Most Holy Rosary
Clergy
RectorEsteban U. Lo
Vicar(s)Brian D. Siblos
Assistant priest(s)Junerl A. Salugsugan (Team Ministry)
Raul O. Salgado (Attached)

Binondo Church (Tagalog: Simbahan ng Binondo), formally known as the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz and also as Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish (Spanish: Basílica Menor y Santuario Nacional de San Lorenzo Ruiz y Parroquia de Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario), is located in the district of Binondo, Manila fronting Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz, in the Philippines. This church was founded by Dominican priests in 1596[2] to serve their Chinese converts to Christianity.[3] The original building was destroyed in 1762 by British bombardment. A new granite church was completed on the same site in 1852 however it was greatly damaged during the Second World War, with only the western façade and the octagonal belfry surviving.

Lorenzo Ruiz, who was born of a Chinese father and a Filipino mother, trained in this church and afterwards went as a missionary to Japan, where he and his companions were martyred for refusing to renounce Christianity. Lorenzo is the Philippines' first saint, and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1987. A large statue of Ruiz stands in front of the church.

Masses are held in Filipino, Mandarin, Hokkien, and English. As of 2022, the present parish priest and shrine rector is Esteban U. Lo.[4]

History

Parish church of the barrio of Binondo in 1868

Even before the arrival of the Spanish to the Philippines there was already a community of Chinese traders living in Manila. The population of Chinese traders increased with the advent of Spanish colonization of the Philippines, due to increased trade between the islands. The upsurge in their population prompted the Catholic Missionaries to manage the conversion of the Chinese population to the Christian faith.[5]

In 1596, Dominican priests founded Binondo church to serve their Chinese converts to Christianity as well as to the native Filipinos. A church was constructed before 1614. When transferred to its present site in the 18th century, a new church was built to accommodate new churchgoers. In 1778, the roof was replaced with nipa as the wood was destroyed by termites. In 1863, the church was slightly damaged by earthquake.[6] The original structure has sustained damages during wars[7] and various natural disasters.[8]

Chinese martyr John Alcober served as a priest here in the 18th century.

Domingo Cruz y Gonzales supervised the construction of the dome in 1781.[6]

American bombing on September 22, 1944, destroyed the structure. Everything including the archives of the parish were burned. Nothing was left behind except the stone walls of the church and the fire-tiered octagonal belltower. After the war, Binondo parishioners had to make do with a roofless church for several years until it was rebuilt in the 1950s.[6] The present church and convent were renovated between 1946 and 1971.[6]

On July 23, 1992, Pope John Paul II approved the petition to elevate Binondo Church as a minor basilica. It was solemnly declared as such on October 25 of the same year by then-Manila Archbishop, Cardinal Jaime Sin.[9]

Architecture

The current granite church completed in 1852 and features an octagonal pagoda-like bell tower which suggests the Chinese culture of the parishioners. The church was burned during the British invasion of 1762. Another one was quickly built following the occupation. Improvements were made in the 18th century but the edifice was again destroyed in the 1863 earthquake. It was rebuilt in the grandeur the remains on which we see today. Before the war, it was considered as one of the most beautiful churches in the country. Its bell tower was composed of five stories, octagonal in shape. At its top was a mirador (viewing window). This roof was destroyed during the 1863 earthquake.[6]

The roof behind the pediment and the walls at the left of the façade are additions in the past years. The original façade, with some few renovations, is similar to that of the Italian High Renaissance churches. The façade is buttressed on the sides by pilaster mass terminated by urn-like decorations. A tower is found at the apex of the pediment. At the base of the pediment, along its central axis, is a small circular window framed by smaller columns and pediment which are framed by a foliated scroll. At the right is the huge, octagonal tower characterized by cantons at its angles and pedimented window openings.[6]

Trivia

  • The current main altar of the church is loosely modeled after the façade of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
  • The basilica has been reconstructed many times due to natural calamities and only the belfry is what remains of the original 16th century structure.
  • Andrés Bonifacio and his second wife, Gregoria de Jesús were wed in Catholic rites in the church in March 1893 or 1894. The couple had also undergone a marriage ceremony under the Katipunan, the secret society that Bonifacio headed as part of the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire.

References

  1. ↑ "Vicariate of Santo Niño". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  2. ↑ Philippines, p. 81, at Google Books
  3. ↑ The Propaganda Movement, 1880–1895: The Creation of a Filipino Consciousness, the Making of the Revolution, p. 110, at Google Books
  4. ↑ "About Us". rcam.org. 2021. Post-War Parish Priests
  5. ↑ The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History, p. 489, at Google Books
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Alarcon, Norma (1991). Philippine Architecture During Pre-Spanish and Spanish Periods. Manila: Santo Tomas University Press. ISBN 971-506-040-4.
  7. ↑ Rosario de Guzman Lingat, 1924–1997: The Burden of Self and History, p. 39, at Google Books
  8. ↑ Natural Disasters, p. 85, at Google Books
  9. ↑ Santiago, Lem Leal (July 31, 2022). "Binondo Church celebrates 30th year as Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
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