Sampaloc Church ( fil, Simbahan ng Sampaloc) or the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Loreto ( fil, Dambanang Pang-Arkidiyosesis ng Mahal na Birhen ng Loreto) is a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
Church located along Figueras Street (formerly Bustillos) in the district of
Sampaloc in the
City of Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
. The church is named after and dedicated to the
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
and her
pilgrimage site in
Loreto, Italy where tradition states as the site where the Mary's house was relocated.
History
The
Franciscans
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
under Father Blas de la Madre de Dios, the Provincial Father of the Philippine Franciscan mission, built the first church on the Sampaloc site in 1613. It was made into a parish that same year, along with the enshrinement of the Marian image of Our Lady of Loreto. A convent was built near the church which in 1621 which served as the first home of the congregation of
Poor Clares
The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...
in the country led by
Mother Jeronima de la Asuncion before they moved to
Intramuros
Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila.
Present-day I ...
later that year.
The first church was reconstructed twice, first in 1640 as a result of a 1639 Chinese revolt that burned down the church, and again in 1666 after damage from a 1645 earthquake and because of the needs of a growing community in Sampaloc. The church was also affected by the 1880 earthquake, after which its toppled steeple was reconstructed.
The original jurisdiction of the parish of Sampaloc comprised not only the present Sampaloc district but it also extended into present-day
Pandacan
Pandacan is a district in Manila, Philippines which is known in recent history for its former Pandacan oil depot which supplies the majority of oil exports in the country.
Profile
In 2000, Pandacan had a total population of close to 82,194. T ...
and
Santa Mesa
Santa Mesa is a district in Manila, Philippines. It is surrounded by Pasig River on the southwestern side, and by the San Juan River on its southern and eastern side. Land borders include the districts of San Miguel to the west and Sampaloc t ...
. Pandacan was separated to have its own parish on 1712 while a separate parish for Santa Mesa was established in 1911. In 1932, another split was made in the parish's territory when a parish was established to serve the community in the eastern part of Sampaloc that is known as Balic-Balic. The administration of the Sampaloc parish by then was given to the
Archdiocese of Manila
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
, which was effected in 1899.
The
Battle of Manila in 1945 completely destroyed the original church. The church was temporarily rebuilt as a wood and bamboo structure while plans were made for the construction of a more permanent structure. On November 22, 1958, the present church was completed and was rededicated to the Our Lady of Loreto. The church was further adorned with the addition of a bronze sculpture in 1975 by Filipino sculptor Ed Castrillo.
The church was elevated to the status of archdiocesan shrine by the Archdiocese of Manila on December 5, 2002.
Priests of the Sampaloc Church
File:Loreto_sculpture.JPG, Sculpture of Our Lady of Loreto by Ed Castrillo
File:Sampaloc, Manila - Our Lady of Loreto Church historical marker.jpg, Church marker originally installed in 1935
File:Our Lady of Loreto Church pipe organ in Sampaloc, Manila.jpg, Church interior
File:church_side_interior.JPG, Church interior
File:Altar Loreto Church Manila.jpg, Main altar of the church
File:church_side_altar.JPG, Church altar
File:Our_Lady_of_Loreto_image.JPG, Image of the Our Lady of Loreto enshrined in the church
St. Anthony of Padua Shrine
Adjacent to the Our Lady of Loreto Archdiocesan Shrine is the St. Anthony of Padua Shrine, a church administered by the
Venerable Third Order of the Franciscans ( es, Venerable Orden Tercera). The church traces its origins in 1794, when the Third Order proceeded to build its own church near the premises of the Loreto Church upon the invitation of their Franciscan brethren who were administering Loreto at that time. The church was originally dedicated to the Our Lady of the Pilgrims ( es, Nuestra Señora de la Peregrina), but it was destroyed along with the original Loreto Church in the Battle of Manila of 1945.
Work proceeded shortly for the construction of the new church, which was completed in 1947. This time the church was dedicated as a shrine to
St. Anthony of Padua after Franciscans decided to transfer the devotional activities to St. Anthony from the now destroyed San Francisco Church in Intramuros to Sampaloc Church.
Due to their proximity and shared history, the Loreto and St. Anthony churches have been known alternately as "the twin churches of Sampaloc" and "the twin churches of Bustillos".
References
{{Roman Catholic churches in Manila
Roman Catholic churches in Manila
Buildings and structures in Sampaloc, Manila
1613 establishments in the Spanish Empire
Cultural Properties of the Philippines in Metro Manila
Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila