Arch of the Centuries (Manila)

Philippines / National Capital Region / Manila / España Boulevard (R-7)
 memorial arch  Add category
Arco de los Siglos
Any visitor or new student who enters the España main pedestrians' gate is immediately drawn to the Arch of the Centuries, right in front, about fifteen meters away. Classical Greek and Roman in inspiration with its Doric fluted columns, but baroque in its wealth of curving and embossed details, it looks like one of those triumphal arches for victorious Athenian athletes or returning Roman generals that are seen in history books. The medallion arch is usually a memorial for all distinguished Thomasians. The inscription says, "Gateway to the history of the finest breed of Filipinos". On the lower facade of the pillar, a commemorative plaque honors Jose Rizal, national hero and UST alumnus, and another plaque, Manuel L. Quezon, President of the Philippine Commonwealth, also a UST graduate. On the sides of the rectangular top of the arch are panels depicting some milestones in the life of St. Thomas Aquinas. Above all these, sits the serene, regal image of this angelic doctor, scholastic philosopher and theologian, patron of the University and of all Catholic schools.

The side of the arch facing the campus was the main doorway to the university building before it was destroyed by World War II. The stones of that doorway, now rough-hewned and eroded, were transferred and reassembled piece by piece in its present site. The side with its Grecian design facing España Street is a reconstruction of the doorway as it originally looked.

The Arch was recently declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum last January 25, 2010 together with other prominent landmarks like the Main Building, Central Seminary and the UST Open Field.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_the_Centuries
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   14°36'30"N   120°59'27"E

Comments

  • I think it's as old as the university itself. Ito kasi yung main door ng university back when it's in intramuros.
  • There must have been several tens of thousands of students who have passed by this historical structure, oftentimes paying no heed. It's alright. There are other more pressing concerns on the student's mind that does not merit even a cursory glance at this arch. It is a design typical of those found in Western capitals -- Paris' Arc D'Triomphe, Berlin's Brandenburg gate, New York Greenwich Village Square's own version. They are unpainted and massive, giving the impression of solidity and permanency. This UST edifice has classic lines evoking its time of formation during an earlier century. Should a visitor (you, perhaps?) look closer, a few dents on its cement facade could be seen. These are bullet holes ; do not forget that the university had been a prison for Americans during the Japanese occupation, and liberation forces must have aimed their weapons haphazardly and hit this structure. More recently in Manila's history (the seventies), the arch was also witness to the turmoil that visited university belt and spared no school. Remember the political firestorms that raged to and fro across Mendiola bridge? When the police charged, the retreating protesters ran back to the streets of Recto (Azcarraga then), to Morayta, then to Espana and some fled into the UST compound past the arch of centuries. The pursuing police caught up with a few and beat these captives with rattan truncheons, causing bleeding scalps and lacerated lips. These hapless studentry were then loaded into trucks to be taken to waiting prisons in Camp Crame and elsewhere. This arch could tell some stories, if only it could talk ! You who trek past it with thoughts of exams and other things weighing on your mind, give this silent monument a modicum of respect. It is part of Manila, of our Filipino consciousness, of our nation's history.
  • yup agrances, that's a really good thing for you to say, coz some are even terrified to pass the arch, afraid that if they accidentally walk through it - well you know the myth!!
  • the grandly exalted "arch of the centuries"
  • I didn't know it had much history behind that Arch... I'm sorry for just going in and then outside without thinking too much of the respected structure(Yes, I went out that archway, even if I'm currently just a freshman).
  • wooh! nakalabas na ko dito sa wakas!!!
  • Well the arch myth almost came true for me, but somehow hardwork and stubborn refusal to believe such things can win over any myth, well, in my case anyway. WooT! Now going onto med school! Is it true that the arch was re-assembled from where it once stood in Intramuros, or was it somehow moved whole, over to where it now stands? There are a couple of interesting "panels" in the Arch, and this was pointed out to us during our tour of the University when we were still freshmen ^^ Ahh, such nice memories...
  • The only one like it in the Philippines :D
  • Show all comments
This article was last modified 3 years ago