The Parish of Saint Augustine @ Intramuros, Manila

Great detailed trompe l'oeil paintings, epitaphs beneath your feet, the almost-silent screaming of the souls in the wind, WELCOME to San Agustin Church.

 (photo basis: pinoychurches.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/san-agustin-church... )

• The church was built in the year 1607, during the reign of the Spaniards in the Philippines.
• During that time (the Spanish Occupation), it was the mother church of the Augustinians.
• It survived earthquakes (not the left belfry though), typhoons, and battles (even the Battle of Manila, though some damage is unavoidable), making it the oldest stone church in the Philippines. (FYI: the second oldest church is the Immaculada Concepcion Parish in Baclayon, Bohol. It recently got destroyed due to an earthquake last year.)
• The trompe l'oeil paintings are done by 2 Italian paintors: Cesare Alberoni and Giovanni Dibella.
• When it was built, the friars described the facade as "lacking grace and charm" (I agree with them.)
• It houses the statue of "Nuestra Senora Consolacion y Correa" (crowned 2000 by Cardinal Sin) that's why the church is also called "The Parish of Our Lady of Correa".
•  It is one of the 4 baroque churches of the Philippines enlisted by UNESCO.

There used to be 10 churches in Intramuros, but now, only 2 remain. (I will feature these churches later.)

The church also has a museum, where you can view what used to be the Augustinian Monastery (but the monastery is attached to the museum.), and the other various places in the church.

 The choir loft. They had this VERY LARGE song book placed in the middle. The songs are still in Spanish. PLUS, when you walk on the wooden floor you'll think it will fall at any moment. (enjjnjnejnjefn)

 The pipe organ (the door on the right leads to the room where you can view the mechanism which operates the organ)

OTHER PHOTOS

An old picture of the church during the Spanish regime (courtesy of Jaycee Gopez)

 The church with the left belfry still intact (courtesy of Pablo Blasco)

The church after the c. 1880 earthquake which destroyed the left belfry. (courtesy of Pablo Blasco)