The Binondo Church

Binondo, Manila

PUBLISHED July 9, 2010

PHOTOS | WORDS BY MARIANO SAYNO

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The Binondo Church is a historic church in Manila, located in the District of Binondo, near the Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz. It was previously called Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish, and is now known as the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz. This shrine is dedicated to Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint venerated in the Roman Catholic Church. Lorenzo served as an altar boy at this church as a young boy.

EXPLORE Binondo Church

The Beauty of

Binondo Church

PHOTOS | WORDS BY MARIANO SAYNO

PUBLISHED July 9, 2010

The Binondo Church is a historic church in Manila, located in the District of Binondo, near the Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz. It was previously called Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish, and is now known as the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz. This shrine is dedicated to Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint venerated in the Roman Catholic Church. Lorenzo served as an altar boy at this church as a young boy.

As the original building was destroyed by British bombardment in 1762, a new granite church was constructed on the same site in 1852. However, it was badly damaged during the Second World War, with only the western façade and octagonal belfry being left standing.

The Chinese community in Manila existed even before the Spanish arrived in the Philippines. Due to increased trade between the islands, the population of Chinese traders increased with Spanish colonization of the Philippines. As their population grew, the Catholic Missionaries got involved in converting the Chinese to Christianity.

To serve their Chinese converts to Christianity, Dominicans founded this church in 1596. When moved to its present site in the 18th century, a new church was constructed to accommodate more churchgoers since the wooden roof had been destroyed by termites. The original structure has been damaged during wars and other natural disasters over the years.

Domingo Cruz y Gonzales supervised the construction of the dome in 1781. A granite church built on the same location in 1852 with a bell tower that looks like a pagoda, indicates the Chinese heritage of its parishioners.

During the British invasion of 1762, this church was burned down. Improvements were carried out during the 18th century, but the edifice was again destroyed in 1863 by an earthquake. As we see today, the church was rebuilt in a grandeur that remains to this day.

This church was once considered as one of the most beautiful churches in the country. It had a bell tower that had five stories of octagonal shape. On top of the tower was a mirador or viewing window. This roof was unfortunately destroyed during the earthquake of 1863.

After the bombing on September 22, 1944, nothing was left except the stone walls of the church and the fire-tiered octagonal bell tower. Everything, including the archives of the parish, was burned. For several years after the war, Binondo parishioners had to live without a roof until the church was reconstructed in the 1950s.

Today, the church symbolizes the city’s tradition of tolerance and cultural diversity. It remains a place of worship for the Filipino-Chinese community. It is also an important landmark in the city that commemorates the contributions made by the Chinese community to the country’s history.