San Ignacio Church ( fil, Simbahan ng San Ignacio; es, Iglesia de San Ignacio) in

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 ...

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 populate ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, was designed for the Jesuits by architect Félix Roxas Sr., and completed in 1899. It was known as their "Golden Dream" but was destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Its interiors, embellished with carvings, had been designed by Isabelo Tampinco. The church building is currently being reconstructed, along with its adjoining Casa Misión Convent, as the Museo de Intramuros.

History

The Jesuits built two churches in honor of St. Ignatius of Loyola at two different sites. The first site was located along ''Calle Real del Palacio,'' at the present site of ''Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila'' (former site of ''Colegio de Manila''). The second site was located along ''Calle Arzobispo'', beside the guesthouse of 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 ...

and the archdiocesan chancery and archives – formerly the '' Arzobispado'' or the Episcopal Palace, the residence and office of the archbishop of Manila.

First church

There were three churches built at the site of the former ''Colegio de Manila'' (currently ''Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila'') between 1587 and 1879. The first church, designed by Italian Jesuit priest-architect Gianantonio Campioni, was constructed in 1587 and dedicated to St.

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian, ...

. The funds for the construction came from

oidor An ''oidor'' () was a judge of the Royal ''Audiencias'' and ''Chancillerías'', originally courts of Kingdom of Castile, which became the highest organs of justice within the Spanish Empire. The term comes from the verb ''oír'', "to hear," referr ...

Don Gabriel de Ribera. It was made of wood with a tile roof and was completed in 1632. The second church, made of stone, was constructed from 1590 to 1596 following the plans of Antonio Sedeño and was dedicated to Saint Anne, the mother of 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 of ...

. It was damaged by an earthquake in 1600. In 1626, the third church was constructed and dedicated again to St. Ignatius of Loyola. The church was completed in 1632. Due to the expulsion of the Jesuits from the Philippines, the church slowly deteriorated from 1768 to 1784. The ''Seminario de San Carlos'' managed the church and the adjacent ''Colegio de Manila'' in 1784. On 6 September 1852, an earthquake caused major damage to the

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...

of the church. The flanking bell towers and the lower floor of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

were the only structures left standing. The site later became a military barracks known as ''Cuartel de España'', which served as the headquarters of the 31st American Infantry Regiment.

Second church

The plans of the church and its adjacent school were kept at the Jesuit Archives in Manila. However, the plans did not reflect the construction as it was actually built at the former Jesuit compound. In 1879, the Jesuits were authorized to use the stones of the 17th century San Ignacio Church as foundation for the construction of the new church on ''Calle Arzobispo''.

Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (born Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; ; ; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway ...

designed and supplied the metal framework for the church. Thus confirming the contribution of Eiffel in Philippine church architecture, just not in San Sebastián Church as many believed. The second church, or the fourth attempt of the Jesuits, built for St. Ignatius of Loyola was designed by the architect Félix Roxas Sr., the first recorded

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

in classical and renaissance style. The wooden interior and statuary were designed and executed by Isabelo Tampinco. His

atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or ...

and Agustín Sáez were charged with the altars and pulpit. Sáez was the director of the art academy in Manila and art teacher at the ''Ateneo Municipál''. In 1889, construction of the church was completed. Unfortunately, the church was destroyed during the Battle of Manila. It continuously burned for four days because of the heavy use of good local hardwood.

Museo de Intramuros

After it was destroyed in 1945, the property was acquired by the City of Manila. The Jesuits has kept the plans for the church; however, they did not rebuild in Intramuros and transferred to Loyola Heights,

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was fou ...

and erected the

Church of the Gesù , image = Church of the Gesù, Rome.jpg , imagesize = , caption = Giacomo della Porta's façade, precursor of Baroque , mapframe = yes , mapframe-caption = Click on the map for a full ...

there. The City of Manila rented out the property to different companies, which converted its ruins as an office space and a warehouse due to its proximity near the

Manila South Harbor The Port of Manila ( fil, Pantalan ng Maynila) refers to the collective facilities and terminals that process maritime trade function in harbors in Metro Manila. Located in the Port Area and Tondo districts of Manila, Philippines facing the M ...

. Its ruins were altered by the private developers, such as putting additional circular window holes on the building envelope. Later on, the ruins of the church was turned into a basketball court. Excavation and plans to restore the church began when the Intramuros Administration was created in 1979 through Presidential Decree 1616. The Intramuros Administration is currently rebuilding the church as a part of Museo de Intramuros, which is planned to be an ecclesiastical museum that will house a thousand artifacts that the Intramuros Administration had collected over time.

Architectural features

For over 300 years, a mixture of architectural styles were implemented to establish a church in honor of St. Ignatius of Loyola: the Italianate Baroque style of architect Gianantonio Campioni, evolving into

Neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...

of architect Félix Roxas, Sr and

Renaissance style Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought a ...

through its interiors by Isabelo Tampinco. The interiors of the first church or the 17th century San Ignacio Church were painted in 1700 by Jesuit brother Manuel Rodríguez, assisted by Tagalog apprentices. The exterior façade of the second church reflected neoclassical proportions. However, its interiors are in the Renaissance Style with features such as arcaded and elevated galleries along the nave, a dark hardwood interior finish, an ''artesonado'' or coffered ceiling, fusion of bricks and ''piedra de Visayas'' or coral and limestone at the façade of the church, and pillars and outlines of portals and windows made up of white

Carrara marble Carrara marble, Luna marble to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara in the province of Massa ...

. The church was spared from a fire that occurred on 13 August 1932, which started on a store on Calle Real. Gutted were most of the Jesuit compound (mostly comprising the Ateneo de Manila), the Augustinian Provincial House (''Casa Procuración'', also ''Casa Nueva''; subsequently reconstructed as th
ECJ Building
, and Colegio de Santa Isabel. Besides the church, the headquarters of the Philippine Jesuit Mission (''Casa Misión'') was also spared, though partially damaged. When the Ateneo de Manila subsequently transferred to the newly built, Jesuit-owned San José Seminary on

Padre Faura Street Padre Faura Street is an east-west street in downtown Manila, Philippines. It carries traffic one-way westbound from Romualdez Street to Roxas Boulevard. Starting at its eastern terminus at Paco Park in Paco district, the street heads west for a ...

Ermita Ermita is a district in Manila, Philippines. Located at the central part of the city, the district is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of the city, bearing the seat of city ...

, the church became a parish.

References