San Agustin Church (Manila)

Coordinates: 14°35′20.1″N 120°58′31.2″E / 14.588917°N 120.975333°E / 14.588917; 120.975333
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Addbot (talk | contribs) at 19:53, 26 February 2013 (Bot: Migrating 7 interwiki links, now provided by Wikidata on d:q1306513 (Report Errors)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

San Agustin Church
Religion
AffiliationRoman Catholic
ProvinceArchdiocese of Manila
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusParish church
Year consecrated1607
Statusactive
Location
LocationIntramuros, Manila, Philippines
Geographic coordinates14°35′20.1″N 120°58′31.2″E / 14.588917°N 120.975333°E / 14.588917; 120.975333
Architecture
Architect(s)Juan Macías
TypeChurch
Stylebaroque
Groundbreaking1586
Completed1607
Specifications
Length67.15 m (220.3 ft)
Width24.93 m (81.8 ft)
Materialsadobe stones
Website
sanagustinchurch.org

San Agustin Church is a Roman Catholic church under the auspices of The Order of St. Augustine, located inside the historic walled city of Intramuros in Manila.

In 1993, San Agustin Church was one of four Philippine churches constructed during the Spanish colonial period to be designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, under the collective title Baroque Churches of the Philippines.[1] It was named a National Historical Landmark by the Philippine government in 1976.[2]

History

The present structure is actually the third Augustinian church erected on the site.[3] The first San Agustin Church was the first religious structure constructed by the Spaniards on the island of Luzon.[4] Made of bamboo and nipa, it was completed in 1571, but destroyed by fire in December, 1574 during the attempted invasion of Manila by the forces of Limahong.[5][6] A second church made of wood was constructed on the site.[6] This was destroyed in February 1583, in a fire that started when a candle set ablaze the drapes of the funeral bier during the interment of the Spanish Governor-General Gonzalo Ronquillo de Peñalosa.[5]

The interior of the San Agustín Church in Intramuros, with trompe l'oeil mural on its ceiling and walls

The Augustinians decided to rebuild the church using stone, and to construct an adjacent monastery. Construction began in 1586, based on a design by Juan Macías.[4][6] The structure was built using hewn adobe stones quarried from Meycauayan, Binangonan and San Mateo, Rizal.[2] The work proceeded slowly due to the lack of funds and materials, as well as the relative scarcity of stone artisans.[6] The monastery was operational by 1604, and the church was formally declared complete on January 19, 1607, and named St. Paul of Manila.[6] Macías, who had died before the completion of the church, was officially acknowledged by the Augustinians as the builder of the edifice.[7]

Damage to San Agustin Church after the series of earthquakes in July 1880

San Agustin Church was looted by the British forces which occupied Manila in 1762 during the Seven Years' War.[8] In 1854, the church was renovated under the supervision of architect Luciano Oliver.[4] Nine years later, on June 3, 1863, the strongest earthquake at that time, hit Manila leaving widespread destruction to the city with San Agustin Church, the only public building left undamaged in the city.[9] A series of strong earthquakes struck Manila again on 18–20 July 1880. This time, the tremors left a huge crack on the left bell tower of the church[10] The crack was eventually repaired, but the left tower was permanently removed as it appears today.[11] The church withstood the other major earthquakes that struck Manila before in 1645, 1699, 1754, 1796, 1825 and 1852.

On August 18, 1898, the church was the site where Spanish Governor-General Fermin Jaudenes prepared the terms for the surrender of Manila to the United States of America following the Spanish-American War.[3][8] During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II, San Agustin Church was turned into a concentration camp for prisoners.[3] In the final days of the Battle of Manila, hundreds of Intramuros residents and clergy were held hostage in the church by Japanese soldiers; many of the hostages would be killed during the three-week long battle.[3] The church itself survived the bombardment of Intramuros by American and Filipino forces with only its roof damaged, the only one of the seven churches in the walled city to remain standing.[3] The adjacent monastery however was totally destroyed, and was later rebuilt in the 1970s as a museum under the design of architect Angel Nakpil.[2][8]

Features

The ornately carved main door of San Agustin Church

San Agustín Church measures 67.15 meters long and 24.93 meters wide.[2] Its elliptical foundation has allowed it to withstand the numerous earthquakes that have destroyed many other Manila churches.[2] It is said that the design was derived from churches built by the Augustinians in Mexico.[4] The façade is unassuming and even criticized as "lacking grace and charm", but it has notable baroque touches, especially the ornate carvings on its wooden doors.[4] The church courtyard is graced by several granite sculptures of lions, which had been gifted by Chinese converts to Catholicism.[3]

The church interior is in the form of a Latin cross.[2] The church has 14 side chapels and a trompe-l'œil ceiling painted in 1875 by Italian artists Cesare Alberoni and Giovanni Dibella.[12] Up in the choir loft are hand-carved 17th-century seats of molave, a tropical hardwood.

The church contains the tomb of Spanish conquistadors Miguel López de Legazpi, Juan de Salcedo and Martín de Goiti, as well as several early Spanish Governors-General and archbishops. Their bones are buried in a communal vault near the main altar.[2] The painter Juan Luna, and the statesmen Pedro A. Paterno and Trinidad Pardo de Tavera are among the hundreds of laypersons whose remains are also housed within the church.

San Agustin Church also hosts an image of Our Lady of Consolation (Nuestra Señora de Consolacion y Correa), which was canonically crowned by Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jaime Sin in 2000.[2]

Gallery

References

Notes
  1. ^ "Baroque Churches of the Philippines". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved on 2012-01-20.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Layug, p. 84
  3. ^ a b c d e f Layug, p. 83
  4. ^ a b c d e Heritage Conservation Society. "San Agustin Church (Intramuros, Manila)". Retrieved 2008-03-24.
  5. ^ a b Torres, p. 62
  6. ^ a b c d e Aluit, p. 40
  7. ^ Aluit, p. 41
  8. ^ a b c Torres, p. 63
  9. ^ Fernandez, p. 216
  10. ^ Hannaford, p. 21
  11. ^ Laya and Gatbonton, p.102.
  12. ^ Layug, p. 85
Bibliography
  • Layug, Benjamin Locsin (2007). A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches. Pasig City, Philippines: New Day Publishers. pp. 39–41. ISBN 971-8521-10-0.
  • Aluit, Alfonso (1994). By Sword and Fire: The Destruction of Manila in World War II 3 February – 3 March 1945. Philippines: National Commission for Culture and the Arts. pp. 83–85. ISBN 971-8521-10-0.
  • Torres, Jose Victor Z. (2005). Ciudad Murada: A Walk Through Historic Intramuros. Manila: Intramuros Administration & Vibal Publishing House, Inc. pp. 62–63. ISBN 971-07-2276-X.
  • Hannaford, Adjutant E. (1899). History and of our Philippine Wonderland. Springfield, Ohio: The Crowell & Kirkpatrick Co. p. 21.
  • Fernandez, Leandro H. (1919). A Brief History of the Philippines. Boston, Massachusetts: Ginn and Company. p. 216.
  • Laya, Jaime and Gatbonton, Esperanza (1983). Intramuros of Memory. Manila: Ministry of Human Settlements, Intramuros Administration. p. 102.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to San Agustin Church (Manila).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=San_Agustin_Church_(Manila)&oldid=540726472"