It is in the un-making of places in the past that drives a corrective -- and a remaking of places -- that situates power relations and tells alternative historical accounts. Such is the case of the Iglesia y Hospital in Spanish occupation-era San Gabriel de Manila.
On Tuesday, the 19th of May at 1:30PM via Zoom, the Heo/Geo Lecture Series presents a talk by Associate Professor Patrick Anthony de Castro with a title: The search for the lost narrative and discursive reconstruction of the whereabouts of Iglesia y Hospital de San Gabriel de Manila.
Using methodologies from various disciplines and a discursive approach in reconstructing the subject matter at hand, the research hoped to correct some long-standing misconceptions, pointed-out unknown lacunae, and clarified muddled loopholes on the beginnings of Intramuros in general, and particularly the proselytization activities of the Dominican congregation in the Philippines. Known as the church cum hospital established by the Dominicans for non-Christian Chinese immigrants to Manila, it is discovered that Iglesia y Hospital de San Gabriel was already operational, both as a church and hospital, even before the establishment of Dominican’s mother church and monastery, Monasterio y Iglesia de Sto. Domingo, and that the latter’s location at the Gran Cienaga or great swamp at the northeastern corner of what would become Intramuros was based on the location of their missionary works among the said Chinese group in the Parian and not the other way around as written in many positivistic studies about them before.
Related to this is providing a re-examination of the sources used in academic studies and secondary works placing the beginnings of Dominican missionary works at Baybay, the local town with Chinese Christian inhabitants located at the tip of the southern banks of the Pasig River.
Associate professor Patrick de Castro teaches history at Miriam College. He previously served as chairperson for the Department of International Studies and the Department of Social Sciences in Mirian College. He is a member of the Philippine National Historical Society (PNHS) as well as in Manila Studies Association. He published several modules on Philippine History and the life and works of Jose Rizal. His research includes the history of Malabon before the arrival of the Maryknoll sisters, and his past and present engagements with the lost churches in Intramuros. His academic degrees are in history with forays in geography, anthropology and urban planning.
To provide a contemporary context to areas in Intramuros used to be occupied by such institutions, it is pinpointed that Iglesia y Hospital de San Gabriel was located at a spot currently occupied by the Letran Gym and part of the northern façade of the College of San Juan de Letran fronting it. This was discovered here through what was established in earlier scholarship as the eastern boundary of Manila from 1577 to 1583. This boundary was established earlier as being only along what became Legazpi street and not beyond where the eastern walls of Intramuros (which were constructed later).
Based on the research, when, how, and where the church and hospital of San Gabriel were transferred to two different sites on the islet of Binondo; the church in 1594 and the hospital in 1598 along its Pasig River banks, and their eventual demise. The presentation will show how the hospital completely disappeared in the 19th century while the church being destroyed during the British Invasion of Manila in the 18th century but upon whose grounds the current church of Binondo was built almost a century later.
Additionally, the presentation argues that the first name given to the said church and hospital of the Dominicans for the Chinese in the Parian is San Pedro de Martir, considered as one of the actual founders, aside from UST’s founder Fr. Miguel de Buenavides, Juan Maldonado de San Martir in honor of the same saint he was named after.
Thus, its well-known identifying designation in honor of San Gabriel after whom the northeastern bulwark of Intramuros was named after, Bastion de San Gabriel, that was built towards the end of Spanish rule over the country, as the current source of knowing about parts and parcel of the said subject matters of the research, has nothing to do with them except occupying portions of the site in Intramuros where they used to be located. This paper attempts to prove the historicity of Iglesia y hospital de San Gabriel built by the Dominicans for Chinese residents of the Parian and their geographical whereabouts within the city of Manila and its environs from their inception until their disappearance as Spanish institutions.
This presentation is part of a research conducted a few years ago called 'Search of Two Lost Catholic Churches in Intramuros de Manila towards the ed of the 16th Century' that was funded by the Center for Strategic Research of Miriam College then directed by Dr. Joey Alagaran. Moreover, de Castro discovered about the muddled and incomplete historicity
of the Iglesia y hospital de San Gabriel out of his studies in the masters program on the urban development of Manila, 1571 – 1593, done a more than a century ago (1998).
Jointly sponsored by the UP Department of Geography and the Philippine Geographical Society (PGS), the Heo/Geo Lecture Series is a monthly resource talk / lecture given by academic geographers, geography-adjacent scholars, practitioners working in geospatial industries, and partners that engaged in multiple publics, and based locally and abroad. The talk ranges from the sharing of research findings to pedagogical practices and field-based experiences. This current lecture is facilitated by the Human geography (HUG) research cluster at the UP Department of Geography and is in line with the SDG #4 (Quality Education) of the United Nations.
To participate in the Zoom lecture, click this link to participate: https://tinyurl.com/4zhefnwz
Reference:
Claramunt, C. (2025). The phenomenon of hidden geographical information in cartography. International Journal of Cartography, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/23729333.2025.2595717
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