Augustinian Churches in the

Philippines
Prepared By:
Nicolas, Iana Clarice C.
AR038 History 4
Arch. Gregoria Mercado

H
I Augustinians have served continuously in the Philippines since
S the year 1565, and have made a great contribution to the
history of that nation.
T Augustinians first landed in the Philippines from Mexico. The
O Augustinian priest and navigator, Andrs de Urdaneta
O.S.A.discovered the sailing route for returning from
R the Philippines to Mexico in 1565.
Y

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o San Agustin Church originally known as

"inglesia de San Pablo", founded in 1571
is the oldest stone church (built in 1589)
in the Philippines. Designed by Arch. Juan
Macas.

o It is a administered by the Order of Saint

Agustine (Augustinian Friars). Since the
time of its foundation, the devotion to
Nuestra Senora dela Consolacion y Cirrea
is celebrated every Saturday. In this
Church
o It was the first church built on the island
of Luzon in 1571, immediately after the
Spanish conquest of Manila.

San Agustn Church

o Nowadays, it is called the Wedding

Capital of the Philippines.

 It is known as the Church of St Paul and

was originally built in 1571 as the first
church of the Agustinian Order. Now the
first disaster occurred in 1574 when
Chinese pirates destroyed it. Then in the
next twelve years it had a problem with
fire and was burnt to the ground twice, in
1583 and again in 1586.
It was then decided to rebuild the San
Agustin Church in stone. The rebuilding
started in 1587 and took to 1604 to be
completed.

It survived the earthquakes of 1645,

1754, 1863 and 1880.

San Agustin Church

before and after the
1880 earthquake

 The San Agustin Church Manila was

ransacked by the British in 1762 and was
damaged during the battle of Manila at
the end of World War II in 1945. In a way
it has faired better than others
in Intramuros in particular Manila
Cathedral.
On August 18, 1898, the church was the
site where Spanish Governor-General
Fermin Jaudenes prepared the terms for
the surrender of Manila to the United
States of America following the SpanishAmerican War.
The church itself survived the flattening
of Intramuros by American forces in May,
1945 with only its roof damaged, the only
one of the seven churches in the walled
city to remain standing.

The Battle of Manila

Bay

 The tomb of "El Adelentado

Miguel Lopez de
Legaspi" Founder of the City
of Manila is located in the
eastermost chapel of the
transept.

The Large Bell that was

destroyed in an
earthquake in 1863.
It is now located at the
San Agustin Church
Museum

 The Church of San Augustn measures 67.15

meters long and 24.93 meters wide.

The interior of the Church of San

Augustn in Intramuros, with magnificent
trompe l'oeil mural on its ceiling and walls.

 The facade, unassuming and criticized as

"lacking grace and charm," has notable
baroque touches, especially the ornate
carvings on its wooden doors.
Several granite sculptures of lions, which
had been gifted by Chinese converts to
Catholicism, grace the church courtyard.

San Agustin Church of Paoay

commonly known as the Paoay Church, is the Roman
Catholic church of the municipality of Paoay, Ilocos
Norte in the Philippines. Completed in 1710, the church is
famous for its distinct architecture highlighted by the
enormous buttresses on the sides and back of the
building. It is declared as a National Cultural Treasure by
the Philippine government in 1973 and a UNESCO World
Heritage Site under the collective group of Baroque
Churches of the Philippines in 1993.

Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours

The Taal Basilica canonically known as the Minor Basilica of Saint Martin
of Tours is a Minor Basilica in the town of Taal, Batangas in
the Philippines, within the Archdiocese of Lipa. It is considered to be the
largest church in the Philippines and in Asia, standing 88.6 metres (291 ft)
long and 48 metres (157 ft) wide. St. Martin of Tours is the patron
saint of Taal, whose fiesta is celebrated every November 11. It is
designed by Arch. Don Luciano Oliver.

In 1575, 3 years after the founding of Taal town in its old site near the
shores of Taal Lake, work began on the construction of its first church by
Father Diego Espinar (O.S.A.) with Saint Martin of Tours as patron saint.
The church was rebuilt in 1642 using stronger materials but in 1754, it was
destroyed along with the town of Taal in the largest recorded eruption
of Taal Volcano. This event led to transfer of the town and the church
farther away from the volcano to its present site atop an elevated hill
facing Balayan Bay. The ruins of the previous church can still be seen in San
Nicolas.
Father Martin Aguirre donated the land and began the construction of the
new church in 1755. It was continued by Fr. Gabriel Rodriguez in 1777 and
by Fr. Jose Victoria in 1782. Fr. Ramon del Marco decorated the church,
built the convent and paved the "processional" road with bricks around the
atrium of the parochial building. This church was damaged by a strong
earthquake on September 16, 1852. The earthquake centered near Taal
Volcano, though no volcanic eruption was recorded.

Construction of the present church began in 1856 by Fr. Marcos Anton

with Spanish architect Luciano Oliver, commissioned to design and
manage the construction of the new church. Although it was unfinished,
it was inaugurated in 1865. The huge church was completed by Fr.
Agapito Aparicio in 1878, adding the main altar of Doric style measuring
24 metres (79 ft) high and 10 metres (33 ft) wide. He was also
responsible for the baptistery made with tiles imported from Europe. The
stone church had three naves with a grand transept and an elegant
facade with Ionic and Doric orders. A small tower on the left side of the
facade contained the large church bell, which in 1942, was destroyed by
an earthquake.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Saint_Martin_of_Tours
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paoay_Church
http://www.artesdelasfilipinas.com/archives/119/the-history-of-the-san-agustin-church
http://sanagustinchurch.org/