San Carlos Seminary, the Archdiocesan Seminary of Manila, was the first diocesan seminary established in the Philippines.
Its birth was decreed by King Philip V of Spain who, on April 28, 1702, ordered the establishment in Manila of a seminary for the  formation of the diocesan clergy as envisioned by the Council of Trent.

  Seminario de San Clemente in Intramuros

On December 8, 1707, the seminary was blessed and inaugurated by Archbishop Francisco Cuesta, and was named Royal Seminary of San Clemente, in honor of the reigning Pope Clement XI.

In 1715, the name of the seminary was changed to Real Seminario de San Filipe, in honor of the king's  patron saint. The next decade, civil authorities turned San Filipe into a university, so the seminarians has to take most of  their philosophy and theology course at the Jesuit's Colegio de San Jose and at the Dominicans' Colegio de Santo Tomas. But the University of San Filipe was short lived and by 1730, the seminary was back to the exclusive use of the seminarians. Years later, as part of the reforms being instituted, the Jesuits Colegio de San Ignacio, located on Calle Real de Palacio (now General Luna Street) and Calle Escuela (now Victoria Street) was converted into  the diocesan seminary. In 1786, it was bestowed another name- REAL SEMINARIO CONCILIAR DE SAN CARLOS.

The seminary building was heavily damaged during the earthquake of 1889, so again the seminarians had to be moved. The Vincentian Fathers who had been in charge of the seminary since 1862 in accordance with the wishes of Queen Isabela II, transferred the students to their Casa del Campo in San Marcelino. Three years later, Archbishop Pedro Payo constructed a building for seminarians in Arzobispo Street beside the new San Ignacio Church.

In 1905, Archbishop Jeremias Harty placed San Carlos under the care of the Jesuits. It was later transferred to Cavite with the missionaries of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM) when they took over Trinity College there in 1909. Three years later, San Carlos was back in Intramuros  joining the Jesuit-run Colegio de San Francisco Javier on Padre Faura until it was closed in 1913. Archbishop Harty later found another place for the San Carlos Seminary in a renovated  building (now Don Bosco ) in Mandaluyong and the Vincentians were again put in charge of the seminary.

For two centuries, thus, the archdiocesan seminary was shuttled, being lodge whenever it was convenient for the archdiocese or the congregation in charge of it.
It was not until the years of calm after the World Ward II that the archdiocese could begin the process towards the fulfillment of a vision-to have a permanent building for the formation of the archdiocese's future priests, and to make it the biggest and the most modern seminary in the country.

Through the unstinting and untiring efforts of Archbishop Gabriel Reyes, the first Filipino Archbishop of Manila, the cherished dream became a reality in the early 1950's when San Carlos Seminary was finally granted its own 5-hectare site in San Pedro (now Guadalupe), Makati. Constructions began and on January 24, 1953, his Eminence Norman Thomas Cardinal Gilroy, then legate-a-latere to the on-going First Plenary Council of the Philippines, inaugurated the new San Carlos Seminary building.

Twenty years later, in 1973, His Eminence Rufino Cardinal Santos, the first Filipino Cardinal, installed the first Filipino diocesan rector of San Carlos, Fr. Oscar Cruz, now an Archbishop.
On June 29, 1987, the San Carlos Graduate School of Theology and the Archbishop Gabriel M. Reyes Memorial Library were completed and blessed by His Eminence Jaime Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila and His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Archbishop of Cebu.
Some of the historic events that took place in San Carlos Seminary were the following: the Second Plenary  Council of the Philippines (January 20- February 17, 1991); the 6th Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (January 10-19, 1995); the grace-filled visit of His Holiness Pope John Paul II (January 15, 1995); and the National Pastoral Consultation on Church  Renewal (January 20-27, 2001).
Through the years, the seminary has produced many dedicated and zealous men who have served for the mission of the Church. Some of San Carlos Seminary's distinguished alumni are Padre Gomez and Zamora, priest-martyrs who became inspiration for Philippine independence during Spanish times, Cardinal Rufino Santos, the first Filipino Cardinal and Ricardo Vidal, the Cardinal Archbishop of Cebu, and many bishops and priests who  dedicatedly served the local Church.

Whether in Intramuros, Ermita or in Guadalupe, San Carlos Seminary has formed hundreds of priests who in their priestly formation and with God's grace were sent forth to serve the people of God. As we celebrate our tricentennial year of our foundation (1702-2002), San Carlos Seminary stands witness to the growth of the Christian community in the country drawing its inspiration from the words and example of Christ.