Manila's San Agustin Church Lost Its Color

Well, yes, its façade no longer has its former orange-like color. But only temporarily, I guess. I hope. When I went there last May 12, 2013, it looked like this:

Apparently, the church is being spruced up for a special milestone happening two years from now. In 2015, the Augustinians will celebrate their 450^th year in the Philippines. The Order of Saint Augustine was the first group of Christian missionaries to evangelize in the Philippines.

San Agustin is located along Gen. Luna street in Manila’s old Walled City, or the Intramuros. In 1973, President Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 260 declaring the San Agustin Church and the Liturgical objects therein as National Cultural Treasures.

A UNESCO marker in front of the church describes the San Agustin Church as: “One of the four Baroque Churches of the Philippines inscribed in 1993 on the World Heritage List pursuant to the 1972 UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.”

  

In the adjoining museum, there is an informational plaque describing the San Agustin Church (Iglesia de San Agustin) as follows:

“The Oldest Church in the Philippines. Together with the Monastery, was built by the Augustinians in the period between 1587 and 1607. It is 62.5 meters long, 18 meters high and 27 meters wide. The nave is in the form of a latin cross, with a stone vault. The choir loft is supported by an elliptic arch. The towers were erected by Oliver in 1861, but one of them was damaged by an earthquake and had to be demolished in 1881. Of great artistic value are some of the reredos in the chapels, the main altar (early XVIII century), the baroque pulpit, the bronze chandeliers, and the Trompe L’oeil decorations. To the right of the main altar is the Chapel and tomb of Legazpi, Founder of Manila.”

 Here is what the church's façade looked like a year ago (January 2012)…

The interior, however, remains impressive…

Interior of San Agustin Church (February 2012)

Interior of San Agustin Church (May 2013)

For the first time, I noticed that the trompe l’oeil paintings include painted shadows which conjure a three-dimensional character to the painted objects.

Paintings with 3-D effect

Aside from the architecture and adornments of the church, I think the Catholic weddings that are regularly held here add another point of interest that make San Agustin Church a living cultural heritage and not simply a relic for tourists to look at.

More info here: San Agustin Church, UNESCO World Heritage List, and Heritage Conservation Society