English: 1608 Church of Santa Cruz - Sta. Cruz Parish Church Plaza Sta. Cruz St. Our Lady of Pillar Parish. Sta Cruz Parish (Sta. Cruz) VICARIATE OF SAN JOSÉ DE TROZO 1912 Rizal Ave. Santa Cruz, Manila[1]is a neighborhood in the northern part of the City of Manila, Philippines, located on the right bank of the Pasig River near the mouth of the river, in between the districts of Tondo, Quiapo, and Sampaloc, and Caloocan City and Quezon City. The district belongs to the 3rd congressional district of Manila in the Philippines. The Jesuits built the first Roman Catholic Church in the area where the present Santa Cruz Parish stands on June 20, 1619. The Jesuits enshrined the image of the Our Lady of The Pillar in 1643 to serve the pre-dominantly Chinese residents in the area. The image drew a lot of devotees and a popular cult grew around it. At the Santa Cruz Parish, a small park was built that linked the area into the headquarters of the Spanish cavalry, the building that once was the College of San Ildefonso, operated by the Jesuits. The district in the Spanish times also had a slaughter house and a meat market and up north was the Chinese cemetery. The Franciscan fathers were given the responsibility to care for the lepers of the city and specifically the San Lazaro Hospital. A Fr. Felix Huertas developed San Lazaro into a refuge for the afflicted and it became a famous home for those afflicted in the north side of the Pasig River.[2]The Sta. Cruz Church was erected in 1608 by the Society of Jesus, known as Jesuits Missionary, as a parish church for the swelling ranks of Chinese immigrants to Manila, many of whom had converted to the Catholic faith. The original structure was twice damaged by earthquakes, and totally destroyed in World War II. The present building, completed in 1957, is essentially Baroque and somewhat reminiscent of the Spanish-built mission churches in southern California.Coordinates: 14°35'57"N 120°58'49"E[3][4]The area surrounding the present of Sta. Cruz began as a Jesuit mission under Rector Antonio Sedeño, the person responsible in the fortification of Intramuros using blocks of adobe. Named after the Holy Cross, the church was built and administered by the Jesuits up to 1768. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila[5] List of religious buildings in Metro Manila[6]Our Lady of Pillar Parish | Sta Cruz Parish (Sta. Cruz)[7]Santa Cruz Church is essentially Baroque and somewhat reminiscent of the Spanish-built mission churches in Southern California.[8]