| San Agustin Church | |
|---|---|
| Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation and Cincture | |
| Immaculate Conception Parish | |
 Churchfaçade in May 2024 | |
 San Agustin Church | |
| 14°35′20″N120°58′31″E / 14.58889°N 120.97528°E /14.58889; 120.97528 | |
| Location | Intramuros, Manila |
| Country | Philippines |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Religious order | Order of St. Augustine |
| History | |
| Former name | Iglesia de San Pablo de Manila (Spanish) |
| Founded | 1571; 455 years ago (1571) |
| Founder | Augustinians |
| Dedication | Paul the Apostle |
| Consecrated | 1607; 419 years ago (1607) |
| Cult present | Our Lady of Consolation and Cincture |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | World Heritage Site |
| Designated | 1993 |
| Architect | Juan Macías |
| Architectural type | Church andconvent |
| Style | Baroque |
| Years built | |
| Groundbreaking | 1586; 440 years ago (1586) |
| Completed | January 19, 1607; 419 years ago (1607-01-19) |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 67.15 m (220.3 ft) |
| Width | 24.93 m (81.8 ft) |
| Other dimensions | Façade facing northwest |
| Number of towers | 1[a] |
| Materials | Adobe stones |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Manila |
| Deanery | Nuestra Señora de Guia[2] |
| Parish | Immaculate Conception |
| Clergy | |
| Prior | Rev. Fr. James Gubat Uy,O.S.A. (convent) |
| Rector | Fray Edwin Escobanas Hari,O.S.A. |
| Priest(s) | Fray Reynante Bansale Balilo,O.S.A. |
| Official name | Immaculate Conception Parish - San Agustin Church |
| Part of | Baroque Churches of the Philippines |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii)(iv) |
| Reference | 677bis-001 |
| Inscription | 1993 (17thSession) |
| Extensions | 2013 |
| Area | 2.43 ha (262,000 sq ft) |
| Buffer zone | 106.13 ha (11,424,000 sq ft) |
National Historical Landmarks | |
| Official name | Church of San Agustin |
| Type | House of worship |
| Designated | August 1, 1973; 52 years ago (1973-08-01) |
| Reference no. | No. 260, s. 1973 |
| Region | National Capital Region |
| Marker date | 1998; 28 years ago (1998) |
TheArchdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation and Cincture, also known as theChurch of Saint Augustine andImmaculate Conception Parish, is aRoman Catholic church under the auspices of theOrder of Saint Augustine located inside the historic walled city ofIntramuros inManila, Philippines. Completed in 1607, it is the oldest stone church in the country.[3]
In 1993, San Agustin Church was one of four Philippine churches constructed during theSpanish colonial period to be designated as aWorld Heritage Site byUNESCO, under the collective titleBaroque Churches of the Philippines.[4] It was named a National Historical Landmark by the Philippine government in 1976.[5]
San Agustin Church is located in General Luna St., Manila. The present structure is actually the third Augustinian church erected on the site.[6] The first San Agustin Church was the first religious structure constructed by theSpaniards on the island ofLuzon.[7] Made ofbamboo andnipa, it was completed in 1571, but destroyed by fire in December 1574 during the attemptedinvasion of Manila by the forces ofLimahong.[8][9] A second wooden structure built on the same site[9] was destroyed in February 1583 by a fire that started when a candle igniteddrapery on the funeralbier during services forSpanish Governor-GeneralGonzalo Ronquillo de Peñalosa.[8]
The Augustinians decided to rebuild the church using stone, and to construct an adjacentmonastery. Construction began in 1586, based on a design by Juan Macías.[7][9] The structure was built using hewnadobe stones quarried fromMeycauayan,Binangonan andSan Mateo, Rizal.[5] The work proceeded slowly due to the lack of funds and materials, as well as the relative scarcity of stoneartisans.[9] The monastery was operational by 1604, and the church was formally declared complete on January 19, 1607, and namedChurch of St. Paul of Manila.[9] Macías, who had died before the completion of the church, was officially acknowledged by the Augustinians as the builder of the edifice.[10] In 1617, Fray Vicente de Sepulveda, Rector Provincial of theOrder of Saint Augustine by a group of four priests inside the church.[11]
San Agustin Church was sacked during theBattle of Manila, which occurred as part of theSeven Years' War.[12] In 1854, the church was renovated under the supervision of Spanish architect Luciano Oliver.[7] On June 3, 1863, the strongest earthquake at that time hit Manila leaving widespread destruction to the city, with San Agustin Church the only public building left undamaged.[13] A series of strong earthquakes struck Manila again on July 18–20, 1880. This time, the tremors left a large crack in the eastbell tower.[14] The crack was eventually repaired, but the left tower was permanently removed with only the base remaining today.[15] The church withstood the other major earthquakes that struck Manila before in 1645, 1699, 1754, 1796, 1825, 1852, 1863 and 1880 and served as a hospital for several of those injured during the earthquake in 1863.[16]
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 theSpanish–American War.[6][12]
On the night of August 13, 1932, a major fire inside Intramuros destroyed a portion of the adjacent San Agustin Monastery. The blaze also totally destroyed the Augustinian Provincial House across the road in Calle Real, as well as the ornate pedestrian bridge that once linked the Provincial House with the monastery.
During theJapanese occupation during theSecond World War, San Agustin Church became aconcentration camp.[6] The Japanese troops removed the lower portion of the right front door of the church and placed sandbags on the resulting opening, turning the entrance into a makeshift machine gun post. In the final days of theBattle of Manila, hundreds of Intramuros residents and clergy were held hostage in the church byJapanese soldiers with many hostages killed during the three-week-long battle.[6] It was the only one among seven churches of Intramuros to survive a leveling by combined American and Filipino ground forces in May 1945.[17][6] While the church sustained damage to its roof, the adjacent monastery was completely destroyed. In the 1970s, the monastery was rebuilt as a museum under the design of architect Angel Nakpil.[5][12] The church was renovated in 2013, with its colorfulfacade replaced by a sedate stone-colored one.[citation needed]
On September 4, 2000, the image ofOur Lady of Consolation was canonically crowned with a decree ofcanonical coronation byPope John Paul II. The Church launched its first pilgrim image of Our Lady of Consolation on May 1, 2023, to promote the devotion to Our Lady.[18]
San Agustin Church and its adjacentconvent,Convento de San Agustin, served as the provincial house and headquarters of theAugustinian Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines of Spain ever since the province's founding in 1575 until 1901, when it was transferred to Madrid after Spain surrendered the Philippines to American forces. The provincial administration of the province was briefly brought back to Manila in 1927, after the election of Fr. Gaudencio Castrillo,O.S.A., after the church where the provincialate was located in Marid, the Iglesia de San Benito y San Manuel, was turned over to the Augustinian Province of Spain (founded September 11, 1926) which the latter used as its own provincialate. The provincial house of the Philippine province remained in Manila until around the year 1934 when it was brought back to Spain, where it remained ever since until its dissolution to form the unified Spanish Province of San Juan Sahagun in 2019.
San Agustin Church is currently administered by the Augustinian friars of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines, a new Augustinian province in the country which took the same name of the old Philippine Province. It was founded in 2019 following the dissolution of the old Philippine Province and the merger of the 4 Augustinian provinces in Spain to establish the Province of San Juan Sahagun.
| Fiesta de Intramuros | |
|---|---|
_2025-09-14.jpg) The image ofNuestra Señora de la Consolacion y Correa on her carroza during the 2ndFiesta de Intramuros in 2025. | |
| Official name | Solemnity of the Virgin of Consolation and Cincture |
| Also called | Fiesta de Intramuros |
| Observed by | Intramuros,Manila |
| Liturgical color | White |
| Type | Local / Religious / Cultural |
| Significance | Feast ofOur Lady of Consolation |
| Celebrations | Holy Mass,processions |
| Date | Second Sunday in September |
| 2025 date | September 14 (2025-09-14) |
| 2026 date | September 13 (2026-09-13) |
| 2027 date | September 12 (2027-09-12) |
| 2028 date | September 10 (2028-09-10) |
| Frequency | Annual |
| First time | September 8, 2024 |
On August 15, 2024, theManila City Council passed a resolution formally declaring Nuestra Señora de la Consolación y Correa as the patroness of Intramuros, Manila.[19] The same resolution declared also designated the Marian title as "Queen and Protectress of the Distinguished and Ever Loyal City".[20]
The proclamation paved the way for the first celebration of theFiesta de Intramuros, an annual event which takes place on the second Sunday in September. It also aims to not only boost tourism in the area, but also to strengthen the devotion to the Virgin Mary, which declined after World War II.[20]
The feast was celebrated for the first time on September 8, 2024, coinciding with the Feast of theNativity of Mary.[20]
San Agustin Church is patterned after some of the magnificent temples built by the Augustinians in Mexico. The present edifice was built in 1587, and completed, together with the monastery, in 1604. The atmosphere is medieval since "both church and monastery symbolize the majesty and equilibrium of a Spanish golden era".[according to whom?]
The massive structure of the church is highlighted by the symmetry and splendor of the interiors (painted by two Italians who succeeded in producingtrompe-l'œil) – the profile of themouldings,rosettes and sunken panels which appear as three-dimensional carvings, a baroquepulpit with the native pineapple as amotif, the grandpipe organ, theante-choir with a 16th-centurycrucifix, the choir seats carved inmolave with ivoryinlays of the 17th century and the set of 16 hugechandeliers from Paris.[21]
A 2022 online study conducted by home services websiteAngi found out that the church is the "most beautiful building in the Philippines".[22]
The church, as in its custom in its heyday, containedniches for burials of bones and remains. The following are notable burials within the premises of the church.
Although about 550 meters (1,800 ft) away from San Agustin Church,[25] theBinondo–Intramuros Bridge (which opened in 2022)[26] is believed to have encroached on thebuffer zone prescribed for church, which includes the walls ofIntramuros and the immediate areas outside.[25][27] However, the national government argues that the bridge will have no direct physical or visual impact to the San Agustin Church, owing to its remote distance and the number of taller structures between the bridge and the church.[28]
So far, theWorld Heritage Convention (WHC) has identified several potential indirect and long-term impacts to the church. WHC noted that the church could be impacted by moreground vibration due to vehicular traffic, andair andnoise pollution. Moreover, the bridge would have a direct visual impact on the overall setting and sense of place of the property, including Intramuros' fortified wall, as well as the Maestranza strip andPlaza México, the visual corridor of thePasig River, and the underlying remains ofBaluarte de Santo Domingo. To mitigate the situation, it was recommended to the national government to reconsider the bridge's and location, convert the surrounding roads of the church into pedestrian areas, conduct structural assessment of the church, and adapt the design of the bridge to the character of Intramuros.[28][25]
San Agustin Church was collectively declared as aUNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, together withPaoay Church in Ilocos Norte,Santa Maria Church in Ilocos Sur, andMiag-ao Church in Iloilo.[29] In April 2019, before the bridge construction, theNational Commission for Culture and the Arts allayed fears that the three other churches could be removed from the World Heritage Site list if San Agustin Church is delisted.[30]
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