Quiapo and Religion
Pio Andrade Jr.
When one talks of Quiapo, the first few things that come to mind are Quiapo Church, Plaza Miranda, the Golden Mosque and Quinta market. Revisiting the past, however, reveals that Quiapo is more than all these.
Quiapo Church was brought down by earthquakes in 1645 and 1863. San Sebastian Church was likewise damaged prompting the Recollects to replace the stone church with a steel Neo-Gothic church designed by engineer Genaro Palacios.
SIGNS OF resilience. Despite being wrecked by an earthquake and devastated by fire, Quiapo Church proved it is still one of Manila’s strongest house of faith (below). Photo from Corotan, Yla. Quiapo Church. 2010. Wikimediacommons, ID PH-00-0152. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quiapo_Church,_Manila.jpg.
On January 15, 1791, Quiapo, Sta. Cruz and Binondo were razed by fire. Another fire hit Quiapo and Sta. Cruz on April 26, 1806. On October 30, 1929, Quiapo Church again burned down. Fr. Magdaleno Castillejo, parish priest, asked architect Juan Nakpil to design a new church which was completed only in 1935.
Although predominantly surrounded by Catholic churches, Quiapo soon became home to the Golden Mosque or Masjid Al-Dahab at Globo de Oro Street. The latter was built by First Lady Imelda Marcos in 1976 to accommodate Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi. Now, it is a center of worship for Manila’s Muslims.
The arrival of Muslims in Manila is another interesting story which deserves a separate article. The main reason for the exodus, according to Andrade Jr. is the chaos in Mindanao (66).
A DOME of hope for Muslims. The Golden Mosque is more than a place of worship. It is a reminder to Muslims that somewhere in the busy streets of Quiapo and Manila is a place they could call home. Photo from Golden Mosque. mapio.net/pic/p-93625194/.
Aside from religious places, Quiapo was famous for its parks and movie houses. San Sebastian (now R. Hidalgo) was the most beautiful street, Plaza del Carmen the most beautiful park and Mercado de la Quinta the biggest public market in Manila. Many rich Europeans including officers of the Spanish army settled in Quiapo. There were no gremio de mestizos, only naturales or native-born individuals (Andrade Jr. 51).
THE NEW Quinta Market. Quinta Market remains an important avenue for buying both wet and dried goods for Quiapenses and visitors. Screenshot from youtube.com/watch?v=vc6o_ovOazg.
The arrival of movies and its popularity in the country led to the building of the “It Theater” at Carriedo in the late 1900s and the Metropolitan Theater in the 1920s. The films were silent movies with Spanish titles and subtitles. The Times Theater and Life Theater, both air-conditioned, showed American and Tagalog movies respectively.
Although some of the places above no longer exist, revisiting the old, new and existing infrastructures of Quiapo reveal a continuing heritage built on religious fervor, love for art, resilience and progress which are important in defining not only the city’s identity, but the Filipinos’ and the country’s as well.
The full article of Andrade Jr. on Quiapo’s history may be read at Quiapo Heart of Manila. Ed. Fernando Nakpil Zialcita published by The Cultural Heritage Studies Program Department of Sociology and Anthropology Ateneo de Manila University and Metropolitan Museum of Manila.
Preview/Header Photo: THE SAN SEBASTIAN CHURCH looms over the horizon in this late 19th century photo which appeared in The Philippine Experiences of an American Teacher by William B. Freer (New York, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1906). The latter material can be found in the Cornell University Library. www.flickr.com/photos/johntewell/9404545445.
WORKS CITED
Andrade, Pio Jr. “Quiapo in the History of the Nation.” Quiapo Heart of Manila, edited by Fernando
Nakpil Zialcita, The Cultural Heritage Studies Program Department of Sociology and Anthropology Ateneo de Manila University and Metropolitan Museum of Manila, 2006, pp. 40-69.
De Villa, JG, Jones, GM, Brady K. “Quiapo, San Miguel & Vicinity”. Manila: the Traveler’s Companion,
Devcon IP Inc., 1987, pp. 66-74.
Sangoyo, Christian. “Metro Manila| Inside Manila’s Golden Mosque in Quaipo.” Web blog post. Lakad
Pilipinas, 14 October 2011. Web. Accessed 4 November 2017.
“The New Quinta Market in Manila.” You Tube. 8 September 2015. youtube.com/watch?v=vc6o_ovOazg. Accessed 28 November 2017.
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