The Santo Domingo Church, located in Quezon City, is known as the repository of a beautiful icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary called Nuestra Señora de la Naval. After nearly four centuries of being located in the old Manila neighbourhood of Intramuros, the church was moved to Quezon City after World War II. The original building was destroyed by the war effort, and friars from the Dominican order decided to build a new church in a new location.
The Santo Domingo Church that stands today in Quezon City is the sixth church to be built. The first one was built in 1588 out of wood but burned down in a fire. The following structures were destroyed by earthquakes and other natural calamities. The last church building, which stood on the Intramuros site before the war, was particularly opulent and grand. As mentioned above, after World War II, the Dominican friars decided to move the church to Quezon City - it was consecrated in October 1954.
The church building was built by architect Jose Zaragoza in the Art Nouveau style that prevailed in the 1930s and 40s. It must be said that this was quite a radical decision, as the Art Nouveau style is usually used in the construction of residential and public buildings, but not religious buildings. Like any church structure, the building of Santo Domingo is upward, reflecting the orientation towards 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 present one is the largest - it is 85 metres long, 40 metres wide and 25 metres high. The total area is 3,400 square metres, which accommodates more than 7,000 people.
The facade of the church is remarkable for its massive appearance and clean lines. At the foot of the 44 metre bell tower is a relief image of St Dominic. 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 church altar is made of stones imported from Italy and is of astonishing beauty.
