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Santa Cruz Church
Santa Cruz Church
Archdiocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament
Our Lady of the Pillar Parish Church
Pang-Arkidiyosesis na Dambana ng Kabanal-Banalang Sakramento at Parokya ng Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Manila (Filipino); Santuario Arqudiocesano del Santo Sacramento y Iglesia Parroquia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Manila (Spanish);
	Newly-renovated façade in May 2024
	14°35′56″N 120°58′49″E / 14.599°N 120.9804°E
Location	Santa Cruz, Manila
Country	Philippines
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Religious institute	Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament
Website	Santa Cruz Parish
History
Status	Archdiocesan Shrine
Founded	1768; 257 years ago
Founder(s)	Jesuits
Dedication	Our Lady of the Pillar
Other dedication	Blessed Sacrament
Relics held	Peter Julian Eymard ; Charles Lwanga
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architectural type	Church building
Style	Mission Revival
Completed	1957; 68 years ago
Specifications
Number of domes	1
Number of towers	1
Materials	Concrete
Administration
Archdiocese	Manila
Deanery	Jose de Trozo
Parish	Our Lady of the Pillar
Clergy
Rector	Rudsend Paragas
Assistant priest(s)	Lenen Deciar

The Archdiocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament, also known as the Our Lady of the Pillar Church or simply Santa Cruz Parish, is a Mission Revival Roman Catholic parish church in the district of Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Manila. The church was built when the arrabal (suburb) of Santa Cruz was established by the Jesuits in the early 17th century. The church had undergone many repairs and reconstruction, with the last reconstruction done in the 1950s.

It is the first mission and motherhouse of Filipino Sacramentinos, making it as the center of congregation activities and events. Every year, the shrine hosts the archdiocesan celebrations of the Feast of Corpus Christi in the Archdiocese of Manila. A Mass is presided by the Archbishop of Manila at 3:15 p.m., followed by a long procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the Manila Cathedral right after.^[2]

History

The Jesuits built the first Catholic church in the area where the present Santa Cruz Parish stands on June 20, 1619. The original church design was made of stone and wood.^[3] The Jesuits enshrined the image of Our Lady of Pilar in 1643 to serve the predominantly Chinese residents in the area.^[4] On June 3, 1863, an earthquake destroyed the church. Agustin de Mendoza began reconstruction work on the church in 1868.^[5] In 1938, the revolutionary and writer Isabelo de los Reyes was buried within the church.

The original structure of the church was twice damaged by earthquakes and then completely destroyed during the Battle of Manila during World War II. The present building of the church, reconstructed in 1957, was designed to reflect the Spanish baroque style that resembles the architectural style of Spanish missions in California.^[4] Art Deco and Romanesque influences the interior of the Church.

On August 15, 1957, the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament began administering the church.^[5]

Pope Francis granted the canonical coronation of the venerated image of Our Lady of the Pillar on December 7, 2017.^[6]

On January 5, 2000, the parish's pastoral council petitioned its former parish priest, Francisco Mendoza, to seek official recognition of the parish church as a shrine.^[7] On June 3, 2018, it was officially raised to an archdiocesan shrine by the decree of the then-Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.^[6]

Architecture

The church façade is characteristically Mission Revival with Ionic piers vertically dividing the first two levels in three parts. Three semicircular arch doorways form as main entrance to the church. A Celtic-like window flanked by small semicircular windows is found at the center of the second level. Forming as the pediment, the topmost level has its raking cornice in undulating liens emanating from the broken pediment found above the statued niche. The domed belfry rises on the right in six levels.^[8]

The church façade is topped with a statue of Our Lady of the Pillar, the patroness of the church, whose feast is held every 3rd Sunday of October.

The façade relief surrounding the center window
The pediment of the church located on the topmost portion of the façade
Domed belfry of the church
Nave in 2024
Altar
The Canonically crowned image of Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Manila

Notable priests

Ezequiél Moreno, parish priest when the Augustinian Recollects administered the parish.
Julian Moreno, brother of Ezequiel Moreno

References

Citations

^ "Vicariate of Jose de Trozo". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
^ Esmaquel, Paterno R. II (June 11, 2023). "IN PHOTOS: Celebrating Corpus Christi, the great Catholic feast of self-giving". Rappler. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
^ Olbés, p. 14.
^ ^a ^b Gopal, Lou (August 8, 2012). "Santa Cruz". Manila Nostalgia. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "About Us". Retrieved June 10, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Hermoso, Christina (June 6, 2018). "Sta. Cruz parish now archdiocesan shrine of the Blessed Sacrament". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
^ "A Threefold Celebration in Sta Cruz Church". SSS Congregatio. June 5, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
^ Alarcon, Norma (1991). Philippine Architecture During the Pre-Spanish and Spanish Periods. Manila: Santo Tomas University Press. ISBN 971-506-040-4.