San Agustin Church

The oldest stone church in the Philippines, the only building in Intramuros to survive World War II

San Agustin Church in Intramuros is the oldest stone building in the Philippines, completed in its present form in 1607 and surviving intact through four centuries of earthquakes, fires, invasions, and finally the catastrophic Battle of Manila in 1945. Its thick baroque walls house the oldest Augustinian church in Asia.

The interior is extraordinary: a trompe l'oeil ceiling painted in 1875 to look like a barrel-vaulted nave from below, original wooden choir stalls inlaid with bone, and side chapels with period-appropriate paintings and sculpture. A small museum in the former monastery contains vestments, church silver, and historical artefacts related to the Augustinian mission in the Philippines. The church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (as part of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines). Mass is still celebrated regularly.

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A story
In February 1945, as American forces battled the Japanese for control of Manila in the bloodiest urban battle of the Pacific War, San Agustin's thick stone walls sheltered thousands of Filipino civilians. When the fighting ended, the church was standing and most of what surrounded it was ash and rubble. The rest of Intramuros had to be rebuilt; the church had been there since 1607.

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