Engraved in the stones before you, a story unfolds. This is the story of Santo Domingo Church. Formally known as the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila, Santo Domingo Church stands as a testament to faith and resilience. It is a Roman Catholic parish church and national shrine.
Santo Domingo Church began as a small wooden chapel. Dominican monks started construction on August 6 1587. They had arrived in Manila a few months earlier. Manila Bishop Domingo de Salazar bought the land. It was near the Pasig River.
Inaugurated on January 1 1588 the chapel enshrined a 60 centimeter tall wooden image. It was of Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario. This icon celebrates the vision of San Domingo Félix de Guzmán. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him in 1214. She gave him the Rosary.
The image of Santísimo Rosario became known as Nuestra Señora de la Victoria. This was after the miraculous intervention in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The Catholic fleet defeated the Ottoman Empire. Our Lady of Victory was commissioned as a protector of Manila. This followed the attack by Chinese pirate Limahong.
A new image of Our Lady of the Rosary was commissioned in 1593. Hernando de los Ríos Coronel supervised the creation of the icon. A Chinese immigrant carved it of ivory and wood. Legend says the icon spoke to the sculptor. It told him to be gentle. This led to his conversion to Catholicism.
The Santísimo Rosario earned its miraculous reputation during the Battles of La Naval de Manila in 1646. The Philippine defense sought the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary. They vowed to walk barefoot to Santo Domingo Church. The Philippine defenders faced a Dutch armada. After five battles they emerged victorious.
Philippine defenders walked barefoot towards Santo Domingo Church to give thanks. On January 20 1647 the first procession of Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario: La Naval de Manila was held. Today the procession is on the second Sunday of October.
Over time the La Naval de Manila procession grew. It included eleven Dominican saints by 1940. The modern procession includes twenty seven saints.
The Archdiocese of Manila declared the naval victories of 1646 as miraculous in 1662. In 1906 Pope Pius X granted the canonical crowning of the Santísimo Rosario. This occurred on October 5 1907.
In 1957 a commemorative plaque was installed at Santo Domingo Church. This marked the canonical coronation. For the coronation 310000 individuals donated jewels gems gold and silver. This created the Manto de la Coronacion and crown. The crown weighed almost 2 kilograms. It had 1083 gemstones.
The silver carroza triunfal used in processions was completed between 1936 and 1939. Máximo Vicente Sr created it.
Pope Paul VI proclaimed the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Patroness of Quezon City in 1970. Pope John Paul II declared the image of Our Lady of the Rosary as the Queen and Protectress of the Philippines and Asia in 1981. The National Museum declared the 1593 Santo a National Cultural Treasure in 2012.
The Santo Domingo Church has changed architecture over the years. The original wooden chapel collapsed in 1599. A new church out of stone was completed in 1592. A fire razed it in 1603. The third church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1645. The fourth church stood for over 200 years. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1863.
Arch. Félix Arroyo Rósas designed the fifth church in the Gothic Revival style. It was destroyed when the Japanese bombed Manila in 1941. The 1593 image of Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario de La Naval de Manila survived.
In 1950 the Dominicans purchased land in Quezon City. The groundbreaking for the sixth church was in 1952. José María Véelez Zaragoza designed the new church. It had a modernist style. The new Santo Domingo Church was blessed on October 10 1954. It was declared a Marian Shrine.
The church covers 3400 square meters. It can hold 7200 standing people and 2000 seated. Máximo Vicente Sr sculpted the new santos. Francesco Riccardo Clementi Monti created the relief of The Story of the La Naval de Manila. Galo B Ocampo designed the stained glass windows. Carlos Botong Francisco created scenes from the life of Saint Dominic.
Santo Domingo Church stands as a beacon of faith art and history. It is a testament to the enduring spirit of the Filipino people. Its story is etched in its stones its art and its devotees hearts. As you leave may the stories and the treasures inspire you. May you carry a piece of Santo Domingo Church with you always.