Immaculate Conception Cathedral
The mother church and the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Pasig, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, also called the Pasig Cathedral, is one of the oldest structures in the city. This church was first built by Augustinian missionaries in 1575. Initially consecrated to the Visitation of Our Lady (consecrated on July 2, 1573), on April 25, 1587, the parish was changed to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of the Augustinian priests during that time.
The Neo-Classical and Colonial Baroque facade
The present structure, started before 1639, was said to have been finished during the brief British occupation of Manila from 1722 to 1747 (when it was converted into horses’ stables and served as the British military headquarters) and its belfry used as a watchtower against the Spanish defenders. In 1764, it underwent repairs.
Historical Plaque
The stone convent was built by Fr. Felix Trillo. In 1879, the church was restored by Fr. Simon Barroso who also replaced the roof with galvanized iron. From 1910 to 1979, the parish was administered by the CICM Fathers, after which the Filipino clergy took over the pastoral leadership of the parish.
The four-storey bell tower
In 2000, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral was declared one of the Jubilee churches in the Archdiocese of Manila (the parish was a part of this archdiocese until August 21, 2003 when the district was elevated as a separate and independent diocese on October 2001, with the elevation of the parish into the status of a cathedral).
Porta Sancta
On December 7, 2008, the Solemn Canonical Coronation of its patron as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Pasig was led by Edward Joseph Adams (the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines), the Bishop of Pasig, and the entire faithful in the diocese.
The cathedral interior
In February 2021, as part of the Celebration of the 500th year anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines, the cathedral was named as a Jubilee Church in the Diocese of Pasig along with the Diocesan Shrine of St. Martha and Parish of St. Roch in Pateros and the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne in Taguig City.
The choir loft
The main altar and retablo
On March 25, 2022, after a 7 year-long restoration and renovation of the cathedral (including the addition of ceiling paintings), the cathedral was inaugurated and blest by Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara.
Ceiling painting
Its plain Neo-Classical and Colonial Baroque façade has triglyphs that separate the first level from the second and third level; semicircular arched doors and windows, and small rose windows and the Augustinian symbol of the stylized heart on the second level.
Left side altar
Right side altar
Its triangular pediment, with its centrally located statued niche and supported by slender Doric columns, is topped by a Renaissance-influenced min-balustrade lacing the raking cornice. The massive five-level bell tower is located on the church’s left.
Old church bells
Candle gallery
Immaculate Conception Cathedral: Justice Hubson St., Plaza Rizal, Brgy. Malinao, Pasig City 1600, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8641-1784 and (632) 8864-6197. Fax: (632) 641-3460. E-mail: iccpasigdop@gmail.com.