Tuesday, April 7, 2015

A Very Short History Of The Colegio De San Jose

In 1601, the Rector of the Colegio de Manila i, Fr. Pedro Chirino, organized the Colegio de San Jose to
serve as the former’s extension school.ii The Colegioiii, aside from being an extension college, also served
as a grammar school where latin and Catholic morals were taught.iv In 1768, the Society of Jesus was expelled and their properties in the colonies, including San Jose, were taken from them.After the Jesuit expulsion, the administration was given to the secular clergy.vi It was during this secular administration that Paciano, the brother of Jose Rizal, studied Segunda Enseñanza and graduated with a Bachiller en Artes from San Jose.vii
Image 01: The main entrance to the building of the Facultades de Medicina y Farmacia, Colegio de San 
Jose, Universidad de Santo Tomas, 1887.xvi


In 1875, the facilities and endowment of the Colegio was granted to the Universidad de Santo Tomas. With this incorporation, San Jose served as the extension college for the newly opened Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of the University.viii From 1877-1882, Jose Rizal got his first 4 years of Medical education at the Colegio, and as such, Rizal like his brother Paciano is also technically an alumnus of San Jose.ix In 1901, the Pope ordered the return of San Jose to the Jesuits, causing a violent uproar among the Medicine and Pharmacy students of Santo Tomas.x As an appeasement, the Jesuits agreed to rent the property to Santo Tomas until the latter finds a new building for its Medical and Pharmacy schools.xi The said building that was rented to the Dominicans ceased to be known as San Jose.

Image 02: Side or rear (?) façade of San Jose, 1887xvii

In 1915, San Jose re-opened in a lot owned by the Jesuits in Padre Faura,xii and re-established itself as a
minor seminary.xiii In 1921 the seminary branched into a Major and a Minor Seminary.xiv From 1915 and
for the next 17 years, San Jose stayed in Padre Faura until the Ateneo took over the Faura campus when
the latter’s building in Intramuros was burned down in 1932. Giving up the campus at Faura, San Jose
then relocated again—this time to the Jesuit house beside San Ignacio in Intramuros. It was during this
time that the seminary was renamed as San Jose Seminary. In 1936, the school transferred to
Balintawak. After the war, the Colegio was then moved to Sta. Ana Manila. In 1951, the school moved to
EDSA. Finally, in 1964, the seminary moved again for the fifth time to Loyola Heights where it is now located.xv

Suggested references for further reading:

Torres, Jose Victor (2007). In Transition: University of Santo Tomas during the American Period (1898-1935). Manila: University of Santo Tomas Publishing House.

Villarroel, Fidel (1985). Jose Rizal and the University of Santo Tomas. Manila: University of Santo Tomas Press.

Notes: 


The Colegio de Manila , established by the Jesuits in 1590, later became the Colegio Seminario de San Ignacio to 
distinguish it from San Jose. With the expulsion of the Jesuits, Sag Ignacio closed down permanently. See 
Geographical History, Pamantasan ng Lungso ng Maynila website, retrieved March 18, 2014 at 
http://www.plm.edu.ph/university-profile/geographical-plm.html; Manresa, S.J. website, retrieved March 18, 2014 at http://www.manresa-sj.org/stamps/2_Philippines.htm; Ocampo, Ambeth. Royal and Pontifical retrieved at March 18, 2014 at http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20080813-154256/Royal-and-Pontifical

ii See Geographical History, Pamantasan ng Lungso ng Maynila website, retrieved March 18, 2014 at http://www.plm.edu.ph/university-profile/geographical-plm.html

iii It should be noted that most Jesuit residences in the Philippines, as elsewhere, were called colegios, whether 
they were educational institutions, houses of formation, centers of apostolate, or seats of government and 
administration for the Society. See UST is Oldest. The Varsitarian. Retrieved March 18, 2014 at 
http://varsitarian.net/news/20110126/ust_is_oldest_period

iv Ibid, Geographical History

v The Society was expelled from all Hapsburg colonies in 1768. In 1773, with the threat of Hapsburgs, Pope Clement XIV finally gave in and issued the brief Dominus Ac Redemptor that finally suppressed the Society. A century later, the Society was revived. See Manresa, S.J. website, retrieved March 18, 2014 at 
http://www.manresa-sj.org/stamps/2_Philippines.htm; See The Suppression of the Jesuits, retrieved March 18, 2014 at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14096a.htm

vi The possessions of the Province were declared forfeit to the crown except the obras pias, which were maintained as ecclesiastical property. Among these was the College of San Jose, which continued to exist, first under the administration of the secular clergy and later under that of the Dominicans. The Jesuit parishes and missions were transferred to other religious orders. See Jesuits in the Philippines. Society of Jesus website. Retrieved March 18, 2014 at https://www.phjesuits.org/portal/jesuits-in-the-philippines/

vii Refer to Villarroel, Fidel. Jose Rizal and the University of Santo Tomas. University of Santo Tomas Press. 1985.

viii San Jose served as the building for the newly opened Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, while Hospital de San Juan de Dios served as the school’s training ground. See UST Hospital History, Retrieved March 18, 2014 at http://www.usthospital.com.ph/aboutusth/usthhistory.php

ix Ibid, Villarroel

x Refer to Torres, Jose. University of Santo Tomas During the American Period. University of Santo Tomas Publishing House.

xi Ibid

xii See Jesuits in the Philippines. Society of Jesus website. Retrieved March 18, 2014 at 
https://www.phjesuits.org/portal/jesuits-in-the-philippines/

xiii See http://sanjoseseminary.org/about-us/history retrieved March 18, 2014

xiv Ibid

xv Ibid
xvi Source: http://www.aenet.org/manila-expo/page23.htm Original caption in the source: ”San José College, Manila University. The entrance to the pharmacy and medicine classrooms. Álbum de vistas de la Universidad y Colegios... 1887. BN”

xvii Source: http://www.aenet.org/manila-expo/page23.htm. Original caption in the source: “Façade of the San José school. Álbum de vistas de la Universidad y Colegios... 1887. BN This was founded by Philip II in 1585. It was closed during the 17th century, but in 1777 it was reopened and resumed its function as a teaching centre.”Note: caption from source is inaccurate. 

Written by  John P. Arcilla

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