St Augustine's Church is a Catholic church under the patronage of the Augustinian monks and is located in Manila's historic Intramuros district. Built in 1607, the church is the oldest building in the Philippines. In 1993, it, along with three other Philippine churches built during the Spanish colony, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the category of "Philippine Baroque Churches". In addition, since 1976, St Augustine's Church has been a National Historic Landmark protected by the national government.
The current church is the third church erected on this site in honour of St. Augustine. The first church was also the first religious structure built by the Spanish on the island of Luzon. Made of bamboo and palm wood, it was completed in 1571, but three years later it burned down in a fire. A second church, also made of wood, was also damaged by a severe fire in 1583. The members of the Order of St Augustine decided to rebuild the church, but this time in stone. They also decided to build a monastery nearby. The construction started in 1586 and lasted for many years due to lack of funds and materials. Only in 1604 the monastery began to operate, and the church was officially opened in 1607.
In 1762, St Augustine's Church was looted by British soldiers who occupied Manila during the Seven Years' War. It was not until 1854 that restoration work was carried out under the direction of architect Luciano Oliviera. Nine years later, Manila was hit by a massive earthquake that left the city in ruins, with only St Augustine's Church miraculously surviving. Another major earthquake struck in 1880, collapsing the left bell tower of the church. It is said that it was the ellipse-shaped foundation of the church that allowed it to survive so many devastating earthquakes.
In 1898, it was here at St Augustine's Church that Spanish Governor General Fermig Haudenes handed over control of the Philippines to the United States of America. And during the Japanese occupation of the island in World War II, the church was turned into a concentration camp for prisoners. In the final days of the Battle of Manila, hundreds of Intramuros residents and clergy were held hostage by Japanese soldiers, many of whom were later brutally murdered. However, the church itself survived the bombing of Intramuros - the only one of the seven churches in the neighbourhood. But the monastery standing next to it was completely destroyed, and only in the 1970s was restored and turned into a museum.
Today, St Augustine's Church is a valuable historical and cultural monument of the Philippines. Its facade is rather modest, it is even often said here that it lacks grace and charm. But it is famous for its Baroque decorations, especially the carvings on the wooden doors. The inner courtyard of the church is decorated with several granite sculptures of lions donated by Chinese Catholics. Inside, the church is shaped like a Latin cross with 14 side chapels and a remarkably beautiful ceiling painted in 1875 by Italian artists. Above the choirs are pews hand-carved in the 17th century from tropical wood.
The church contains the tombs of Spanish conquistadors Miguel López de Legazpi, Juan de Salcedo and Martín de Goiti, as well as several governors general and archbishops.
