San Nicolas is one of the sixteen districts in the city of
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
in the Philippines. It is located at the west central part of the city, on the northern bank of the
Pasig River
The Pasig River (; ) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and Metro Manila, its surrounding urban area into northern and southern halves. Its m ...
bounded by the districts of
Binondo
Binondo (; ) is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Manila, Quiapo, Santa Cruz, Manila, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, Manila, San Nicolas and Tondo, Manila, Tondo. ...
to the east by Estero de Binondo, and
Tondo to the north and west, and by the
Pasig River
The Pasig River (; ) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and Metro Manila, its surrounding urban area into northern and southern halves. Its m ...
to the south. Considered as a heritage district of Manila,
this community has kept its 19th-century
ancestral houses, which symbolizes the wealthy lives of the people who used to live there, similar to the ancestral houses of
Silay and
Vigan
Vigan, officially the City of Vigan (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...
.
As of the May 1, 2020, national census, the population of San Nicolas, which is composed of 15 barangays named as numbers from 268 to 276 and from 281 to 286, is 42,957. This is slightly lower than the 2010 census that counted San Nicolas residents at 44,241.
History
The town of San Nicolas was originally named ''Baybay'', meaning "shore" in
Tagalog.
According to Piet Van der Loon (1966), a
Sangley
Sangley (English plural: ''Sangleys''; Spanish plural: ''Sangleyes'') and Mestizo de Sangley (Sangley mestizo, ''mestisong Sangley'', ''chino mestizo'' or Chinese mestizo) are archaic terms used in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial ...
Chinese community had already settled in Baybay near
Tondo on the banks of the
Pasig river
The Pasig River (; ) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and Metro Manila, its surrounding urban area into northern and southern halves. Its m ...
, before the Spanish conquest of Manila in the
Battle of Manila (1570), and way before the market at
Parián (modern-day
Arroceros Urban Forest Park) attracted large numbers of traders and craftsmen, especially immigrants and merchants from
Southern Fujian,
so before Parián and
Binondo
Binondo (; ) is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Manila, Quiapo, Santa Cruz, Manila, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, Manila, San Nicolas and Tondo, Manila, Tondo. ...
became the local
Chinatown
Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
of the area, Sangley Chinese settlers and merchants were already living in Baybay in between
Tondo and old
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
(modern-day
Intramuros
Intramuros () 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.
Intramuros comprises a centuries-old hist ...
) on the south bank of the Pasig river.
During Spanish rule, ''Baybay'' was renamed to ''San Nicolas'', after the
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
of sailors, boatmen, and mariners. San Nicolas is now the western part of
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
Chinatown
Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
, the first
Chinatown
Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
in the Philippines, and perhaps the world;
the eastern part is
Binondo
Binondo (; ) is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Manila, Quiapo, Santa Cruz, Manila, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, Manila, San Nicolas and Tondo, Manila, Tondo. ...
, which was founded in 1594 by
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
Luis Pérez Dasmariñas.
The
Dominican order
The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...
came to western part of Chinatown in 1596
and then founded San Nicolas in 1598.
This was the first mission by the Dominicans outside
Intramuros
Intramuros () 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.
Intramuros comprises a centuries-old hist ...
.
In 1901, during the
American Occupation of the Philippines
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
, San Nicolas became a district of the newly chartered city of Manila as its borders were extended outside the walled city presently known as
Intramuros
Intramuros () 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.
Intramuros comprises a centuries-old hist ...
.
Daniel Burnham, an American architect and urban planner, was commissioned to build a Plan of Manila. The result of the plan was the making of places and parishes that included San Nicolas. In modern times, San Nicolas is one of the administrative districts of Manila and part of the
third
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system
Places
* 3rd Street (di ...
legislative district of Manila. It became an extension of the
Filipino-Chinese community in Binondo.
Barangays
Barangays 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, and 276 are part of Zone 25; and Barangays 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, and 286 are part of Zone 26.
List of cultural properties of San Nicolas
In art
*''Barrio de San Nicolas—Calle de Ylang-Ylang'', watercolor by
José Honorato Lozano, n.d.
Gallery
San Nicolas, Manila Ancestral Houses (7).jpg, Ancestral house
San Nicolas, Manila Ancestral Houses (9).jpg, Ancestral house
San Nicolas, Manila Ancestral Houses (8).jpg, Ancestral house
San Nicolas, Manila Ancestral Houses (2).jpg, Ancestral house
08218jfManila Buildings San Nicolas Binondo Streets Schools Landmarksfvf 07.jpg, Arch of Solidarity
08316jfSan Nicolas Arch Binondo Schools Fire River Landmarks Manilafvf 10.jpg, Fire Station
San Nicolas Binondo Manila Central Business Districts 31.jpg, Jose Abad Santos High School
San Nicolas Binondo Manila Central Business Districts 26.jpg, Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital
Notable
*
Teodora Alonso Realonda
*
Antonio Luna
Antonio Narciso Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (; October 29, 1866 – June 5, 1899) was a Filipinos, Filipino army general and a pharmacist who fought in the Philippine–American War before his assassination on June 5, 1899, at the age ...
*
Yul Servo
John Marvin "Yul Servo" Cruz Nieto (born February 22, 1977) is a Filipino actor and politician who has served as the 28th Vice Mayor of Manila since 2022.
Early life
Nieto, nicknamed "Jon-Jon" as a child, was born in Calumpit, Bulacan, and ...
See also
*
San Nicolas Fire Station, Manila
Notes
References
Sources
*
{{Metro Manila populated places
Districts of Manila