Description of the attraction
The Church of Santo Domingo, located in Quezon City, is known as the home of a beautiful icon of the Most Holy Theotokos called Nuestra Señora de la Naval. After almost four centuries in the old Manila district of Intramuros, the church was moved to Quezon City after the Second World War. The original building was destroyed by the hostilities, and the Dominican monks decided to build a new church in a new location.
The church of Santo Domingo that stands today in Quezon City is the sixth in a row. The first was built in 1588 from wood, but burned down during a fire. The following structures were destroyed by earthquakes and other natural disasters. The last church building, which stood on the territory of Intramuros before the war, was especially magnificent and stately. As mentioned above, after the Second World War, the Dominican monks decided to move the church to Quezon City - it was consecrated in October 1954.
The building of the church was built by the architect José Zaragoza in the Art Nouveau style that prevailed in the 1930s and 40s. I must say that this was a very radical decision, since the Art Nouveau style is usually used in the construction of residential and public buildings, but not religious ones. Like any church building, the building of Santo Domingo is directed upward, which reflects an appeal to heaven, but the horizontal orientation of the Art Nouveau style makes the church massive. An important feature of the church is the combination of Art Nouveau style and elements of Spanish colonial architecture. Of all the six buildings of the church, the current one is considered the largest - its length is 85 meters, width - 40, and height reaches 25 meters. The total area is 3400 square meters, which can accommodate more than 7 thousand people.
The facade of the church is notable for its massive appearance and clean lines. A relief image of St. Dominic is carved at the foot of the 44-meter bell tower. And above the entrance is a painting depicting the Battle of La Naval. Inside the stained-glass windows depict the main saints of the Dominican order. The amazingly beautiful church altar is made of stones brought from Italy.
