UST Museum

The University of Sto. Tomas Museum was established in 1869 and is considered the oldest existing museum in the Philippines. It is to comply with the 1865 Reglamento de Segunda Enseñanza that needs all first class colleges to have a Museo de Historia Natural.

It was originally located in Intramuros and was later relocated to its present site at paraninfo (meant to be a multi-purpose hall for academic functions or cultural events) of the UST Main Building built in 1928 in the Sampaloc district of Manila.

The UST Museum is a university museum with a wide variety of collection. It is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and University Museums and Collections (UMAC). UST students may enter for free upon presentation of their ID, and may coordinate with the Museum Gallery Attendant for use of the thematic exhibit area for research, performances, exhibits, symposia, and lectures.

Home Our Vision and Mission The mission of the UST museum is to support UST s vision to preserve its cultural assets and provide education for the public. It also seeks to play a prominent educational role in Cultural Heritage Studies. This will be accomplished by skilled and compassionate professionals who are committed to serving the church, nation and global community. The UST Museum sees itself as a major center for cultural heritage dynamism at the University, dedicated to social transformation and the professional and moral development of all her stakeholders. A BRIEF HISTORY and OVERVIEW The UST Museum s original collection occupied two corridors on the Intramuros campus.

It was then transferred to the Sampaloc campus, in 1936. The majority of the collection is from 1869. It is the oldest museum still in existence in the Philippines. The University of Santo Tomas Museum was established to meet the requirements of the 1865 Segunda Ense Anza.

Originally situated in Intramuros the UST Museum moved to the present location at the paraninfo the UST Main Building. It was built in 1928 in Sampaloc, Manila. Paraninfo was intended to serve as a hall that could be used for cultural or academic events. Prof. of Philosophy Rev.

Fr. Ceferino Gonzalez O. P. was later Cardinal Gonzalez and was a collaborator with Leo XIII on the restoration of Thomistic Philosophy. He also became the Museum's first director.

He mentioned the Museum of the University in his Filosofia Fundamental, which he wrote to his students in Manila. Rev. Fr. Ramon Martinez Vigil was later made Bishop of Oviedo, Spain.

He wrote the Curso de Historia Natural. Although the work was originally edited in Madrid, it was actually written in Manila in 1883. It continues to refer to the Philippines. Over 100 references are made to natural resources in the Philippines, and there are more than a dozen mentions of collections at the Museum.

Rev. Fr. Casto de Elera, O. P.

Casto de Elera, O. P. He reclassified all the objects and established a network of exchange and intercommunication between UST museums and other top museums around the globe. He was most interested in the Philippine animal life.

To collect specimens, he organized field trips throughout the Philippines. There are many Fr. Casto de Elera, O. P. specimens of birds and butterflies especially of tiny, microscopic shells.

They have field notes attached. His monumental Catalogo Sistematico de Toda la Fauna de Filipinas conocida Hasta el presente y Alavez de la Coleccion Zoologica del Museo del Colegio Universidad de Sto is a definite scientific work. Tomas de Manila Manila UST 1895. The Rev.

Fr. Silvestre Sancho O. P. was the then Rector Magnificus. He ordered that the Museum be moved from the original location on the campus in the Walled City, Manila, to its current site in Sampaloc.

The theater, or paraninfo was the original idea for the new site. It was intended to be used for large gatherings such as the Rector's Discurso De Apertura, which opened the academic year and hosted lectures, graduations, concerts, and other important events. In 1937, the University's main building at Intramuros was severely damaged by an earthquake. The earthquake caused a portion of the building to be condemned and destroyed, while the whole structure was renovated.

A number of dusty and black paintings were then removed from the walls. Fr. Sancho's curiosity was piqued and he ordered the restoration of the paintings by Prof. Rafael Enriquez Jr. of University s School of Fine Arts.

He would restore the pigment from the soil and soot which nearly destroyed the art beneath. Murillo's student turned up with a masterpiece. There were many more paintings left to be snatched from neglect and time after this one was completed. Fr.

Sancho decided that there had to be something done to improve the art situation in the Philippines. BROWN MADONNA Galo B. Ocampo Hence the UST Museum s art gallery was officially opened on July 25, 1940. In 1941, Fr.

Sancho initiated the First Annual National Painting Contest, and started to purchase masterpieces by Filipino artists for both the Museum and University. The University acquired works from Vicente Manansala and Fernando Amorsolo. The UST Museum has been in a different phase since then. It was not a museum for science and technology, but also arts.

The University's grounds were used as an internment camp by civilians from Allied nations during the Japanese occupation of 1941-1945. However, Japan kept the Museum intact, and they respected it in respect of Spain's neutrality. Some internees were allowed to use the coins, shells, and rare books collections in the Main Building as part of the internment camp. The Main Building was home to approximately 3,000 civil prisoners at its height.

A few were permitted to help with the Museum's large collection. You may find some of their names among the records. These included Lois F. Croft and Agnes Day, William Wards, Marcella Butlers, Senora Ryan and a certain L.

McCarty who served as a Museum employee from May 1942 through May 1943. Leila Maynard, another intern wrote a book about her experiences cataloging rare books and shells for the UST Museum. This Museum pays tribute to the university's crucial role in this time period. The UST Museum played a key role in the 2011 Quadricentennial Celebration when the Main Building was declared a National Cultural Treasure.

It also helped to declare the Arch of the Centuries, the UST Central Seminary and the University s open spaces as National Cultural Treasures. The University was liberated in 1945. After that, the Secretary General, Fathers, directed the opening of the Museum back to the public and cared for the collection, with the assistance of Drs. Quisumbing de Jesus, Bantug and The International Council of Museums ICOM was established in 1949.

Since then, the UST Museum has been an active member of the ICOM since its beginning. The UST Museum continued to be a pioneer in international participation by being a charter member in 2001 of the University Museums and Collections UMAC Sub-Committee in Barcelona. Under the direction of Rev. Fr.

Jesus Ma. Merino Antolinez O. P. The Museum's collection grew with the addition of archaeological specimens and the systematic replenishment of Ethnology History and Biology specimens.

This culminated in the creation of the Philippine Christian Art Collection. This was the moment Fr. Merino saw the value of religious images for the shaping of Filipino religionosity. Merino began collecting Philippine saint images.

These were not appreciated at the time, but they are now very valuable as collectibles. THE UST MUSEUM LOGO. The UST Museum logo is a copy of the forms of capitals in different sections of the Main Building. From the Latin caput (meaning head), capital is a word that means capital.

The logo represents the Museum's role as the head or leader in preserving and witnessing the legacy of four centuries of University of Santo Tomas. In the center of the logo is the name University of Santo Tomas Museum in Manila. This replaces the long version University of Santo Tomas Museum of Arts and Sciences. Below the logo is the year 1869 which was the Museum's official year.

The logo also features woven strips made of material like sawali or banig. The UST Museum's role in promoting culture is reflected in the logo. Its expansion from a mere museum of artifacts into an active promoter of the cultural heritage and heritage of all humanity, the OUR IDENTITY MOUSEUM NEWS, demonstrates its commitment to preserving the Catholic Thomasian heritage.