Officially, Pandacan was established as a community in 1574 when Franciscan priests of the Roman Catholic Church established the first mission in the district. Pandacan was originally part of the parish of Sampaloc; it was later established as a separate parish in 1712.
The miraculous black image of Sto. Niño was found by children playing in a field surrounded by Pandan plants in the early 1600,. The place was then called Pandanan which means plantation of pandan. The name was changed to Pandacan due to the Spaniards mispronouncing its name.
The first stone church in Pandacan was built in 1732 by Father Francisco del Rosario. The church would take 30 years to complete. The image of the Holy Child of Jesus or popularly known as Sto. Niño was enshrined at the church and its feast is traditionally celebrated on the third Sunday of January.
The original church, completed in 1760, was twice destroyed by earthquakes. A modern church now stands on the ruins including a parish school which stands on what was the Catholic cemetery of the district.
