San Agustin Church/OWT

I was in San Augustin Church last month to accompany balikbayan (Filipinos who live abroad) friends.  My friends who live in London were here for 2 weeks to attend a relative's wedding.  This church is one of the most popular wedding churches in Manila.  In fact, my best-friend wanted to get married here almost a decade ago, but they were fully booked for over a year when we inquired.

Originally known as "Iglesia de San Pablo", San Agustin Church was founded by the Augustinians in 1571, built in 1589 and completed in 1607.  It is the oldest stone church in the Philippines, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the Baroque Churches in the Philippines in 1993.  

During the Seven Years' War in 1762, San Agustin Church was looted by the British forces who occupied Manila.  It was renovated in 1854.  The church was also the site where the Spanish Governor prepared the terms of the surrender of Manila to the United States of America in 1898. 

In World War II, the Japanese turned San Agustin Church into a concentration camp for prisoners.  Hundreds of Intramuros residents and priests died here during the final days of the war.  Among the seven churches in the walled city, San Agustin Church was the only building left intact after the destruction of Intramuros during the Battle of Manila (1945).  The  present structure is actually the third  to stand on the site and has survived 7 major earthquakes.

San Agustin Church has 14 side chapels and a magnificent trompe l'oeil mural on its ceiling and walls.  Trompe l'oeil is French for fools the eye,  an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create an optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions.  The nave art was painted by two Italian scenographers Giovanni Dibella and Cesare Alberoni in 1875--scenegraphers are artists who paint backdrops for operas.

It was practiced in the last centuries for prominent persons to be buried inside this church---the painter Juan Luna, Spanish Governors, statesmen and archbishops.  El Adelantado Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, founder of the city of Manila who died in 1572 was entombed in one of the chapels while wealthy patrons of the church paid for their final resting place here.

San Agustin Church

General Luna Street

Intramuros, Manila

 

Linking to Our World-Tuesday

Paoay Church [My World-Tuesday]

@ mirandablue

I believe this is the most popular church in Ilocos Norte.  I first heard of Paoay Church in the 80's when Irene Marcos, former president Marcos' daughter, had her wedding in an old church in Ilocos Norte.  Not in this church, but that fairy-tale wedding brought forth the beautiful churches of Ilocos to the public's attention.  

@ mirandablue

Found in the town of Paoay, approximately 470 kilometers north of Manila is Paoay Church or Saint Augustine Church.  Built in 1704 under the initiative of Augustinian priests, the church was completed in 1710, the bell tower in 1793.  The church was built of coral blocks, stucco-plastered bricks, salbot (tree sap) and lumber, bound together by mortar--a mixture of sand and lime with sugarcane juice. 

A unique combination of Gothic, baroque and oriental architecture, the style has been dubbed an "Earthquake Baroque" because of its massive 24 carved buttresses flanking the sides and rear facades.  Large coral stones were used for the lower level and bricks on the upper level--the walls are 1.67 meters thick made of the same materials (reminds me of 1.618 meters--the golden ratio, the mathematical formula for beauty :p). The builders made sure that the church would be a safe refuge that could withstand natural calamities.  A few meters away is a 3-storey coral stone bell tower.  The bell tower served as an observation post of the Katipuneros during the 1896 revolution against the Spaniards, and  by Filipino guerillas during the Japanese occupation in World War II. 

President Marcos declared Paoay Church as a national treasure and it was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

@ mirandablue

@ mirandablue

Compared to its impressive exterior,  I was surprised that the interior of the church---especially the altar, was simple and almost austere.  I was expecting a stunningly carved retablo, beautiful antique religious icons, and a painted ceiling similar to that of the Sistine Chapel.

At the doorway, we met a man (a Knights Templar, according to my sister :p) who gave us a brief history of this church, and pointed me to good vantage points to take photographs.  He said that four generations of his family have been serving this church.  Our Knights Templar confirmed that the original ceiling was indeed painted with murals but it was destroyed a long time ago.  He added  that the ceiling would soon be replaced---UNESCO gave the parish 5 million pesos (or about US$100,000) for the rehabilitation of the church and grounds.

@ mirandablue

Viewed from the right side, these giant buttresses reminded me of a Javanese temple.  

@ mirandablue

Fr. Pedro Galende, director of San Agustin Museum in Intramuros notes, "There is massiveness, movement, integration, and above all, a forceful sweep of illusion that say a great deal about Filipino ingenuity.  The result is an outstanding and undeniably Filipino type of architecture, neither Baroque or Gothic, neither European nor Mexican, but authentically Filipino."

@ mirandablue

Posted for My World-Tuesday

Santa Maria Church [My World Tuesday]

Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion Church in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur is a historical landmark as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It stands on top of a hill and we climbed 82 steps to reach the church.  

My first visit to this church was more than a decade ago, but it's beauty has never stopped to amaze me.  This church is a great attraction to both the traveler and the faithful---I'm more of a traveler.  

Santa Maria Church is not only a reminder of the 377 334 years of Spanish colonization but it's a unique structure built on heavy stones and mortar.  It's not as flamboyant  in scale and less stunning in the facade but I like its simple design, the reddish brick exterior, and the fact that it was built on top of a hill--giving visitors a panoramic view of the town, the green fields and the blue sea in the horizon.

One of the old Baroque churches in the Philippines, the church in Santa Maria was built in 1765.  Thick buttresses were added to re-enforce the structure to protect it from earthquakes. 

There were two Requiem masses when we arrived.  We waited for the funeral march to begin before entering the church.  Santa Maria Church is one of the 8 pilgrimage churches in Ilocos Sur.  The town is about 360 kilometers north of Manila.

stairway to heaven-- 82 steps

my walk to the altar

the pulpit

side entrance of the church

moss-covered buttresses

a hexagonal bell tower, built in 1810

This post is linked to My World-Tuesday