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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-23/quiapo.avif" alt="Quiapo" loading="lazy"/>
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(Quezon Boulevard, Quiapo, Manila, 1949)
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<h4>
Early History
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Historically, Quiapo was a poor fishing village, originally a cluster of islands with marshlands and shallow waters. In 1577, Franciscans arrived and established their main missionary headquarters in nearby Santa Ana de Sapa, taking Quiapo as part of its visita (chapel-of-ease). Quiapo Church, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, was founded during this period.  St. John the Baptist has been relocated to a small chapel to accommodate Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno, the patron of Quiapo, who draws devotees from all walks of life every January 9th.
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<p>
Quiapo became a separate town on August 29, 1586, through a petition by Franciscan prelate Pedro Bautista, to the  Governor-General Santiago de Vera, and became a parish two years later. Fr. Antonio de Nombrella, a Franciscan was the first parish priest. He conducted mass and managed community affairs in a church made of nipa and bamboo.
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The History of Quiapo, Manila