Pope Leo XIII and the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas in 1902 #‎PopeInPH‬ ‪#‎PopeTYSM‬‪ #‎PopeFrancisPH‬

1927 photo of the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas

1895 Pope Leo XIII for Los Domingos de "El Comercio."

In the 1927 photo of the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas in Sampaloc, Manila, here the empty pedestals on the top of the main building await the future masterworks of Francesco Riccardo Monti, the famed Italian sculptor.

The image of Pope Leo XIII is from Los Domingos de "El Comercio," Manila 3 November 1895. Los Domingos de “El Comercio,” a weekly newspaper, featured prominent civil and ecclesiastical Spaniards residing in Spain and the Philippines, as well as leading personalities in Europe and Latin America.

On September 17, 1902, Pope Leo XIII made the University of Santo Tomas a “Pontifical University”, recognizing the Dominican-run institution’s role in spreading the gospel. Pontifical universities have the authority to grant ecclesiastical degrees in theology, philosophy, and canon law. By 1947, Pope Pius XII bestowed upon it the title of “The Catholic University of the Philippines, for instilling Christian values among young Filipinos. The University of Santo Tomas is the second university in the world after the Gregorian University in Rome to be granted the formal title of Pontifical University. The Gregorian University was allowed to assume this title in 1873.

Francesco Riccardo Monti was responsible for the massive sculptures atop the UST Main Building, the bust of St. Thomas Aquinas in the mezzanine of the same building, the relief murals on scenes in Philippine history at the lobby of the Far Eastern University’s administrative building, and the cast of St. Dominic de Guzman at the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City, among others which remind people of his importance to modern Philippine art.

All Images from the Lopez Library Archives. ‪