The Arch of the Centuries ( fil, Arko ng mga Siglo, es, Arco de los Siglos) is a

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crow ...

at the Plaza Intramuros of the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel ...

(UST) in

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 ...

, in the

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 ...

that stands meters away from the university's ''Millennium Gate'' along

España Boulevard España Boulevard is an eight–lane major thoroughfare in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, named after Spain, the country that formerly held the Philippines as an overseas territory. True to its name, several Spanish names abound the ...

. Half of the current structure, the side facing the

UST Main Building The Main Building of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila, Philippines functions as the university's administrative center, and home of the Faculty of Civil Law, Faculty of Pharmacy, and the College of Science. The Main Building is al ...

is the ruins of the original Intramuros arch while the side that faces

is a replica. The arch was formerly the original entrance to the university when the campus was still 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 I ...

during the years from 1680 to 1941. It was declared by the

National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

as a National Cultural Treasure on 25 January 2010.Formal Declaration of UST National Cultural Treasures
''University of Santo Tomas Museum Website'' accessed 16 may 2012

History

The Arch of the Centuries was originally erected around 1680 at

, where UST was originally established. After

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 opposin ...

, the university transferred to its present location at Sampaloc. The Arch was also carried piece-by-piece and was re-erected at the present Plaza Intramuros in 1954, transformed from being an entrance to a building into a monumental archway. The original Arch which faces the Main Building was the main doorway to the university building before it was destroyed during World War II when it was at Intramuros. A newer arch faced España Boulevard, which is a reconstruction of the original arch.Arch of the CenturiesUST.edu.ph
Accessed 12 August 2006 On 25 January 2010, it was declared a ''National Cultural Treasure'', along with the

University Main Building A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, the Central Seminary Building, and the university field, by the National Museum of the Philippines.

Design

The Arch contains

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

s, but is

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

in its details. The inscription on the arch says "Gateway to the history of the finest breed of Filipinos", a reference to the numerous

alumni Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

who have made an impact in

Philippine history Earliest hominin activity in the Philippine archipelago is dated back to at least 709,000 years ago. ''Homo luzonensis'', a species of archaic humans, was present on the island of Luzon at least 67,000 years ago. The earliest known anatomically ...

. On the left pillar of the facade facing España Boulevard is commemorative plaque honoring

national hero The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor. It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Ru ...

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national he ...

, and on the right pillar is another plaque honoring

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, (; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his dea ...

; both being UST alumni. On the sides at the top of the Arch are panels depicting the life of Saint

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...

, the patron saint of the university and of all Catholic educational institutions.

Current traditions

All incoming students (freshmen and transferees), as parts of their initiation rites into the university, known as the ''

Thomasian Welcome Walk The Thomasian Welcome Walk (TWW) is an annual event of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines.. Freshmen walk through the Arch of the Centuries, a monument that served as the original doorway to the first campus of the university ...

'' are required to pass through under the Arch. Candidates for graduation, on the other hand, also pass through under the Arch during a parade after their Baccalaureate Mass.BACCALAUREATE 2003UST Webservice
(originally in PDF but is linked to a Google HTML equivalent). Accessed 12 August 2006 This tradition started in June 2002. Fireworks display ends the passage and signals the party afterwards. The parade, either of freshmen or graduating seniors, is done per college/faculty in random order. There is an old superstition that while studying at the university, one should not pass under the arch outwards until they graduate. If done so, an event will happen that will bar their graduation from the university.The Myth of the CrossOver
Fairytales of a Freedom Fighter accessed 16 May 2012

References

External links

{{National Cultural Treasures of the Philippines Triumphal arches Buildings and structures in Sampaloc, Manila Buildings and structures completed in 1954 University of Santo Tomas Baroque architecture in the Philippines Monuments and memorials in Metro Manila Cultural Properties of the Philippines in Metro Manila Triumphal arches in the Philippines National Cultural Treasures of the Philippines Spanish Colonial architecture in the Philippines