Manila Cathedral in Stone?

It was not until 1614 that the Manila Cathedral was finally completed. Built from generous donations, the cathedral was enlarged to include seven chapels, three naves and ten alters.

For the next seven years the Manila Cathedral Philippines was enjoyed by many, but once again mother nature changed the events of history and an earthquake in 1621 severely damaged the structural soundness of the Manila Cathedral. The damage was so intense that the entire cathedral had to be rebuilt.

Manila Cathedral underwent more construction during the next four years. Then on the feast day of St Andrew in 1645 one of the largest earthquakes to ever hit Manila destroyed the Manila Cathedral. The earthquake claimed more than 600 lives and raised the city, its devastation was absolute. This earthquake was not alone and during the following days more tremors were felt and any buildings or structures still standing were brought to the ground.

Not only was the physical Cathedral destroyed but also the records, archives and early history were lost forever.

Rebuilding Again

It was not until the arrival of the new Archbishop Miguel de Poblete in 1653 that construction started again on the Manila Cathedral. He put in place plans to rebuild the entire Manila Cathedral in stone. Work on the cathedral was continuous, when one section was finished another had to be started or completed in total. Restoration work continued up till the next century 1700.

Once again in the period 1697 to 1706 the Manila Cathedral was once again damaged by typhoons and earthquakes and the construction process was started over. In the year 1706 the Manila Cathedral was finally completed, including the Bell Tower, and what a site it must have been.

However the glory was short lived with the cathedral falling into disrepair. It was in such poor shape that in 1747 an architect was commissioned to reconstruct the cathedral. The reconstruction was completed in 1760, from this time and into the 19th century only minor repairs were necessary and the Manila Cathedral enjoyed a rather extended period from the builders hammer and chisel.