It was thru the Jesuit priest Antonio Sedeño that the use of stone in building was introduced in Manila. After the great fire of 1583 where candles for the funeral of the fourth Governor General, Gonzalo Ronquillo de Peñalosa, consumed the then simple San Agustin Church and engulfed much of the other structures within the …
Tucked inside the Central Bank Complex in Manila and just behind the Metropolitan Museum of Manila is one of the city’s existing fort, Fuerte de San Antonio Abad. The beginnings of this structure dates back to 1584 as a means of protecting the southern part of the city. However, it was taken over by the …
April 28, 2015 marks the 450th year of the presence of the Augustinians in the Philippines, the 450th year of the finding of the image of the Sto. Nino in Cebu and the 50th anniversary of the Minor Basilica of Sto. Nino. This post, celebrates these milestones by honoring the pioneering Augustinian order thru the …
Currently, the Philippines has four churches inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list under Baroque Churches of the Philippines. And eight more are in the tentative list. And what is this tentative list? For a site or place to become a UNESCO World Heritage site, the country needs to nominate these places first and once …
In 1993, UNESCO inscribed four churches in the Philippines under the title Baroque Churches of the Philippines as World Heritage Sites. These consists of four old churches located in Intramuros in Manila, Sta. Maria in Ilocos Sur, Paoay in Ilocos Norte and Miag-ao in Iloilo and were built between the 16th – 18th centuries. The …
A free downloadable and printable PDF guide is now available for those who would want to tour Intramuros and the places where the seven major churches, except for two, used to be found within the walls. This freebie showcases the eight structures in the historic walled city, all archival images.
In the June 2010 issue of Bluprint Magazine, San Sebastian Minor Basilica is the main feature entitled: Prefab Gothic Revival: Saving the All-Steel San Sebastian Basilica in Manila. The article is written by Tina Paterno, a New York based conservator, who is in the country spearheading, as project head, the restoration of this stunning and historic edifice. I’ve contributed images.
I’ve always been fascinated with the all-steel structure of the San Sebastian Minor Basilica in Quiapo, Manila and when the opportunity came to document it inside and out, I grabbed it.
A free downloadable and printable PDF guide is now available for those who would want to do the traditional visita iglesia in Manila! This freebie features the remaining eight still existing Spanish colonial era churches in the historic city, either wholly built or with it’s façade intact.
This segment of the visita iglesia series features seven of the important churches within Manila.
The seven major churches of the different religious Orders in Intramuros before WWII.
The beautiful and ancient church of San Agustin San Agustin, the oldest stone church in the country has the distinction of being made entirely of stone and the first earthquake-proof structure to be erected on Philippine soil. It is solid, compact and well executed that it has survived earthquakes, bombings and both natural and man-made disasters in its 400 years of existence.
Chinese fu dogs/lions guard the portals and the patio of San Agustin: four located at the facade with one (not shown) have a broken part of the head, and two at the front entrance of the low fence around the patio. One figure is holding its baby while two other figures seem to be playing and holding a ball. These are interesting since these are clearly Chinese in origin but is part of a Christian religious structure.
Just before one enters San Agustin, one is already introduced to the massive and richly carved portal bearing the symbols of the Augustinian order as well as the carvings of the order’s founder and his mother. It awes. Its rocaille embellishments, said to be a characteristic of Rococo, a successor to the Baroque style, are highly stylized forms of leaves, rocks and shells.
The trompe l’oeil paintings found inside of San Agustin is just impressive and awe inspiring. However because of the height of the ceiling and the often unlighted interior especially if there are no masses, some wonderful details can often be missed. Take for example at the crossing of the transept and nave where a faux dome is painted, two doves (left) can be seen between two pillars.