Fig. 1. San Agustin Church Exterior. (Villareal, M, 2020).

SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH

San Agustin Church was built in 1595 and it is located in San Agustin Manila. This
church is known as “Church of the Immaculate Conception of San Agustin” and it is the oldest
church in the Philippines. It has notable elements such as high Baroque retablos (altars) and wall
buttresses separating cripto collateral chapels. Its ceiling murals in the trompe l'oeil technique set
it apart. The centuries-old church gave witness to the country's 400-year span of Spanish
sovereignty. It has withstood numerous bombings and earthquakes, and has incorporated diverse
influences such as Filipino and Chinese designs during its numerous repairs. Clearly, the church
has witnessed the Philippines' heights and failures.

The construction of the church began in 1571 under the direction of the Agustinian Order.
The St Augustine Church Manila was constructed using nipa and bamboo, as were many other
constructions at the time. Limahong, a Chinese pirate, stormed Manila in 1574. The city was set
on fire as a result of the invasion, and the San Agustin Church was one of the buildings that was
destroyed. A year later, the church was rebuilt for the first time. They utilized wooden materials,
which are more prone to fire, to restore the church. In fact, the church was destroyed by another
fire in 1583. The Augustinian friars chose to rebuild the church using adobe stones to avoid
making the same mistakes as before. Juan Macias was selected to manage the design and
construction of the church in 1586, and it was only completed in 1607. The new building
withstood even the most powerful earthquakes that struck Manila in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The only significant damage was the fall of one of the church's bell towers, which was later
removed permanently. The church has been a witness to many key events in Philippine history
throughout the Spanish period due to its age of more than 400 years. The cathedral was sacked
by British forces during the Seven Years War in 1762. San Agustin Church in Manila was used
by Americans and Spaniards to discuss and sign the surrender of Manila to the Americans in
1898. During World War II, Japanese forces used St Augustine Church in Manila as a prisoner
detention camp. As the Battle of Manila came to a close in 1945, the Japanese took hundreds of
priests and citizens hostage within the church. To clear Intramuros of the remaining Japanese,
American and Filipino forces launched an air raid. Structures in the walled city were reduced to
rubbles as a result, however the San Agustin Church Intramuros Manila remained standing, one
of the few that survived the conflict undamaged.

Fig. 2 and 3. San Agustin Church Interior (Villareal, M, 2020).

Seeking assistance from the National Cultural Heritage Service is one way that can be
done to save and preserve the San Agustin Church. With this, it will assess the structural
integrity of the building in order to prevent damages and the building threats of the church.
Changing the materials is one way to improve the strength of the building. It is said that the first
materials used for this building were nipa and bamboo which caused the fire. Afterwards, they
changed it into using adobe stones which withstood earthquakes. With the innovations,
improving the structure’s strength with more durable materials can help its integrity.

REFERENCES:

Fernando, C. (2020, October 19). A guide to san agustin church manila: What you need to
know. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from
https://www.zenrooms.com/blog/post/san-agustin-church-manila/

Parrocha, A. (2019, April 25). NCCA won't allow San Agustin, other churches to lose
UNESCO status. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1068222

Layug, M. (2019, November 17). Sunday's best: What you need to know about the San
Agustin Church and the efforts to preserve it. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/artandculture/715709/what-you-need-to-kno
w-about-the-san-agustin-church-and-the-efforts-to-preserve-it/story/