San Agustin Church, Religious building in Intramuros, Philippines
San Agustin Church is a church building made from coral and adobe in Intramuros, Philippines. The vaults reach high overhead and colored glass windows line the interior along the side walls.
The current building rose from 1586, after flames destroyed two earlier wooden structures. It survived conflicts in the 17th and 18th centuries and the fighting of 1945, when many other buildings in the fort collapsed.
The name honors Augustine of Hippo, whose order manages the building. The order brought Christianity early to the islands and continues to hold services here.
Visitors can enter daily from 8 AM to 6 PM and find an open door for worship or sightseeing. The adjacent museum displays religious artworks and the guided tour explains details about the interior.
On the ceiling, painted shadows and contours trick the eye into seeing three dimensions while everything is actually flat. This painting technique appears only here among all churches in the country.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
