The church in San Francisco del Monte was an old settlement that is now a thickly populated district in Quezon City. Known as the Santuario de San Pedro Bautista, it became the mother church of the Franciscan order in the Philippines since the destruction of the San Francisco Church in Intramuros during the 1945 Battle for Manila.
The site was donated in 1590 to the Franciscans by Governor-General Santiago de Vera in the name of King Philip II.
The church’s patron, San Pedro Bautista established the foundation of the church in 1590 when he was elected Cutos or Superior of all the Franciscans in the Philippines. The old convent and church towers above a cliff, surrounded by a creek and with eight water springs.
The first convent and church was made of bamboo and nipa and was dedicated to Our Lady of Montecelli. The chapel was replaced by a wooden structure in 1593, then by adobe in 1599. The last was badly damaged by the Limahong-led uprising of 1639 and completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1645.
In 1699, a church made of stone was built and the convent was restructured. This was dedicated of the newly beatified Blessed Pedro Bautista and his companion martyrs. This church has now become the sanctuary with the Baroque altar still preserved today.
In 1895, the friars abandoned the place and the Revolutionary forces occupied the church.
The chapel was in typical Spanish colonial architecture. A cloister was attached to the nave around a small courtyard with a well at the center.
In the 1960s a decision was made to enlarge the church to accommodate the increasing number of parishioners. As described by Dr. Jaime Laya, one side of the old building was demolished and the new church, some six times the size of the old, was erected perpendicularly. The old church therefore became the sanctuary and transept of the new church.
how can i get hir from katipunan??? no wheels, commute onli.. tnx!
Hi Cie, you can take a jeep going to Cubao. From Cubao you head for Quezon Ave via the MRT.
Take an FX or a jeep going to Quiapo or Espana. Ask the driver to drop you off at Roosevelt Ave. Then take another jeep ride going to Proj. 8 or Munoz. Ask the driver to drop you off at Frisco. From Frisco take a tricycle going to San Pedro Bautista Church.
Hope this helps.
You can visit where San Pedro Bautista was born in http://www.sanestebandelvalle.com
Thank you for sharing the site where we can find out about San Pedro Bautista’s birth place Juan.
A commerative coffee table book of Sancturio de San Pedro Bautista in commeration of its 75th anniversary as a Parish is in under work-in-process. The book was supposed to be finished and released last November of 2007 to coincide with the diamond anniversary of the Parish but due to problems beyond the control of the volunteer-contributors, the book wasn’t finished. The book is now being laid out prior to printing. We are hoping it would be finished before November 2008 in time for the 76th anniversary. Better late than never.
I’m looking forward for the launch of that coffeetable book William.
do you have any info about the “tunnel” underneath the Church? It is located beneath the old sanctuary area of the pre-1960’s renovation church. Some folks told me that it used to be a very long tunnel, having an outlet to San Francisco Church in Intramuros. Someone also told me that it was the same tunnel where San Pedro Bautista used to pray before he was martyred in Japan. Now, most part of the tunnel was covered with blocks of stone and transformed into a subterranean chapel of San Damiano Crucifix. Entrance to this tunnel is at the back of the Church, beside the ossuary of the friars.