University of Sto.

Thomas
Description
The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo
Tomas, The Catholic University of the
Philippines, or simply the University of Santo
Tomas (UST), is a private, Roman Catholic
research university in Manila, Philippines.
Founded on April 28, 1611 by Miguel de
Benavides, Archbishop of Manila.
The four-century old University of Santo
Tomas draws inspiration from the teachings
and philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, the
Angelic doctor and patron saint of Catholic
schools It is a the one of the oldest
existing universities and holds the oldest
extant university charter in the Philippines and
in Asia.

The school is formally called The Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University
of the Philippines. The term royal was granted by King Charles III in 1785 after recognizing its role in the
British invasion of Manila from 1762-1764. The term Pontifical came from Pope Leo XIII in 1902, making
it the second university in the world to have such status (after Gregorian University). As a pontifical
university, it was established or directly approved by the Holy See. It offers ecclesiastical degrees which
are prerequisites for bishop candidates. Its Catholic title was granted by Pope Pius XII in 1947.

Importance
Since its establishment in 1611, the university academic life was disrupted only twice:
once, from 1898 to 1899, during the second phase of the Philippine Revolution and the
Filipino-American War, and for the second time, from 1942 to 1945, when the Japanese
Occupation Forces during the Second World War converted the UST campus into an
internment camp where around 2,500 allied civilians were detained. Buildings such as the
Main Building, the Gymnasium and an annex building behind the Main Building called the
Domestic Arts building, were used as living quarters. The internees were liberated by the
U.S. forces on February 3, 1945.
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