Quiapo Church

The Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno (Filipino: Basilika Menor at Pambansang Dambana ni Jesus Nazareno[7]), commonly known as Quiapo Church[b] and canonically as Saint John the Baptist Parish,[c] is a prominent Catholic basilica and national shrine in the district of Quiapo in the city of Manila, Philippines.

[7] Monsignor Jose C. Abriol commissioned architect José María Zaragoza and engineer Eduardo Santiago to expand the church in order to accommodate more worshippers.

On December 11 of the same year, Pope John Paul II issued papal bull Qui Loco Petri, elevating the church’s rank to that of a minor basilica.

[13] This was solemnly declared on February 1, 1988, by then-Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Bruno Torpigliani, who also blessed the side altar of Saint Lorenzo Ruíz on that day.

As part of the celebrations, a jubilee wall was placed at the entrance gate so devotees can post their own testimonials of faith and devotion to the Black Nazarene.

The Traslación from Quirino Grandstand back to the basilica was also introduced, re-enacting the image's initial transfer from its destroyed shrine in Intramuros.

[17] On January 29, 2024, at the end of the CBCP's 127th Plenary Assembly in Manila, a Pontifical Mass was presided by Cardinal Advíncula to mark this solemn declaration of the country's 29th national shrine.

At least seventy bishops attended the liturgy,[18] as well as Mayor of Manila, Honey Lacuna,[19] and the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Charles John Brown.

[18] On October 3, 2024, Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula issued a decree officially renaming the church as the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno and abandoned the usage of "Black Nazarene" to distance the Black Nazarene image from its popular depiction of having a dark complexion to "further focus the people on the holy name of our Lord than a color or attribute".

A quatrefoil window in the center of the pediment was sealed up in the late 1980s and replaced with a relief of the crossed keys and tiara of the pope – a symbol of its status as a minor basilica.

[8] One can encounter the traditional folk Catholicism of Filipinos when they all climb the narrow flight of stairs to kiss the Señor's foot or wipe it with their handkerchiefs they use every time they visit.

[21] Due to popular devotion, the Archdiocese of Manila has proposed to the Holy See to declare January 9 as the "national feast of the Black Nazarene".

[23] (*) Bishops The vicinity of the church is a popular area for peddlers of unsafe abortifacients, local gastric irritants and untested herbal folk (potions) remedies.

[26] The media often covers stories of dead fetuses being abandoned outside of the church's Blessed Sacrament chapel, a practice condemned by the Archdiocese of Manila.

[27] Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales has issued several canonical excommunications for women who perform intentional abortion in relation to such practices near the shrine, as ruled by the Catholic Church.

Church PHC historical marker installed in 1939
High altar of the church, with the Black Nazarene enshrined above it
Traslación of the Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno in 2024