SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH (UNESCO World Heritage Site) – Shrine of the Nuestra Senora de Consolacion y Correa
The oldest church by the establishment in Intramuros. Motherhouse of the Augustinian Order in the Philippines since the 16th century. Destroyed by fire and a pirate attack, the present church was built out of stone and completed in 1607, followed by the old monastery in 1609. Looted by British forces in 1762. Survived earthquakes that ravaged the city, losing a bell tower in 1880. The church was the lone survivor in Intramuros after the battle of Manila. The monastery today houses the Museo de San Agustin. It is also the shrine of the Nuestra Señora de Consolacion y Correa.
San Agustin Church: Oldest Church Structure
Established in 1571, the church was destroyed by fire several times until it was rebuilt in stone at the end of the 1500s. The current church structure dates from 1607.
San Agustin Church survived several major earthquakes (1645, 1863, 1880) and destruction during World War 2 in which destroyed most of Intramuros and Manila.
The church today is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, providing a rare glimpse into architecture from the 1600s.
It is the oldest church sructure in Manila and the Philippines.
Have you visited San Agustin and its museum? If so, what feature of the church caught your attention the most? Comment down below 🙂
Powerpoint Art by Diego Torres @egong.von
San Agustin Church and Convent and the Attack of Limahong in 1574
The first structure of the San Agustin Convent was made of bamboo and nipa in 1571. The first Augustinian community that lived there was formed by Fathers Diego de Herrera, Francisco de Ortega, Agustin de Albuquerque and Alfonso de Alvaro.
This structure was destroyed by the fire during the attack on Manila of the Chinese pirate Limahong- Lim Tao K’ien- on December 2,1574 , before dawn.
Fr. Albuquerque, an eyewitness of the event, wrote that “they put the city on fire and burned many houses, including the monastery of San Agustin, with all its supplies, as well as all books and ornaments, since everything was kept there, it being the main house in this land.”
Fr. Agustin de Castro, in 1770, commented that those rich ornaments were donated by the Spanish King Philip II.
In the photos, portrait of the Chinese Li-Mahong (La Illustracion Filipina, 1893) and painying depicting Li-Mahing to attack Manila by F. Martinez in 1894.
Reference: San Agustin Museum
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