Augustinian Churches in the Philippines

Prepared By:

Nicolas, Iana Clarice C.

AR038 History 4

Arch. Gregoria Mercado

HISTORY

Augustinians have served continuously in the Philippines since the year 1565, and have made a great contribution to the history of that nation.

Augustinians first landed in the Philippines from Mexico. The Augustinian priest and navigator, Andrs de UrdanetaO.S.A.discovered the sailing route for returning from the Philippines to Mexico in 1565.

AUGUSTINIAN

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 Cirreais 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.

o Nowadays, it is called the Wedding Capital of the Philippines.

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SSan Agustn Church

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 Spanish-American 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 AdelentadoMiguel 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 Paoaycommonly known as the Paoay Church, is the Roman Catholic church of the municipality of Paoay, IlocosNorte 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 TaalVolcano, 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/