The University of Santo Tomas Museum, the oldest existing museum in the Philippines, started as a "Gabinete de Fisica," an observation room of mineral, botany and biology collections in the 17th century. Under the old Spanish educational law the collections were used as classroom materials for Medicine and Pharmacy and other Science courses.

The university is proud of the museum’s vast collection. Preserved for over three hundred years in the Main Building, the collections then grew with the inclusion of significant cultural objects and artifacts.

Oriental Arts Collection The ceramic collection of the UST Museum is comprised mainly of Chinese wares and a display of many glaze types. A significant grouping are the trade wares exported from China to the Philippines over 600 years ago. The Museum’s collection can be grouped under these broad headings: ancient Philippine pottery, Chinese ceramics, Thai ceramics, Vietnamese ceramics, Japanese ceramics, and European ceramics. The bulk of the oriental arts collection consists of Chinese wares. The collection also boasts of wares from Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Sheltering the Modern Spirit: The Architecture of Jose Maria Zaragoza In line of the Philippine Art's Month, the UST Museum in collaboration with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, mount an exhibit about Jose Maria Zaragoza, showcasing pictures and some scale models of modern architecture in the Philippines. His architecture configures a scenographic atmosphere that solicits spiritual reflection, fortifying one’s faith in God and the national imaginary. The exhibition opens on February 5, 2014 and will run until March 8, 2014 at the UST Museum, Main Gallery.

SUPPORT THE MUSEUM The preservation of the UST Museum’s collections from the ravages of time can only be made possible with the help of our generous friends and benefactors who share our vision and concern for our national treasures.