About The Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz (the Binondo Church):
Even before the arrival of the Spanish to the Philippines there was already a community of Chinese traders living in Manila. The population of Chinese traders increased with the advent of Spanish colonization of the Philippines, due to increased trade between the islands. The upsurge in their population prompted the Catholic Missionaries to manage the conversion of the Chinese population to the Christian faith.
In 1596, Dominican priests founded Binondo church to serve their Chinese converts to Christianity as well as to the native Filipinos. A church was constructed before 1614. When transferred to its present site in the 18th century, a new church was built to accommodate new churchgoers. In 1778, the roof was replaced with nipa as the wood was destroyed by termites. Chinese martyr John Alcober served as a priest in the church in the 18th century. Domingo Cruz y Gonzales supervised the construction of the dome in 1781.
In 1863, the church was slightly damaged by an earthquake. The original structure has sustained damages during wars and various natural disasters. American bombing during World War II on September 22, 1944, destroyed the structure. Almost everything, including the majority of the archives of the parish, were burned. Nothing was left behind except the stone walls of the church and the five-tiered octagonal bell tower.
After the war, Binondo parishioners had to make do with a roofless church for several years until it was rebuilt in the 1950s. The present church and convent were renovated between 1946 and 1971.
On July 23, 1992, Pope John Paul II approved the petition to elevate Binondo Church as a minor basilica and it was solemnly declared as such on October 25 of the same year by then-Manila Archbishop, Cardinal Jaime Sin. On September 22, 2024, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines elevated the Binondo Church into a national shrine.
Masses are held in Filipino, Mandarin, Hokkien, and English.
About Lorenzo Ruiz:
Lorenzo Ruiz was born of a Chinese father and a Filipino mother, trained in this church and afterwards went as a missionary to Japan, where he and his companions were martyred for refusing to renounce Christianity. Lorenzo is the Philippines’ first saint and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1987. A large statue of Ruiz stands in front of the church.
Traveling to the Binondo Church in Manila:
Binondo is a district within the city of Manila and is called “the world’s oldest China Town”.
Address: Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz, Binondo, Philippines
Phone: +63 282424850
email: binondochurch1596@gmail.com
There is currently no website for the church.