San Agustin Church and Museum
April 24, 2007 · Print This Article
I managed to visit the San Agustin Museum and Church on one lazy Sunday afternoon. I decided not to talk much about the historical facts and backgrounds about the place since they are easily accessible on the web. However, I do want to stress out two points on why you should not fail to visit this place:
One, the San Agustin Church is the oldest church in the Philippines. Built between 1587 and 1606, it has survived a number of earthquakes and wars and is the only building left intact after the destruction of Intramuros during the 1945 Battle of Manila.
Two, the San Agustin Church, together with three other ancient churches in the country (2 in Ilocos and 1 in Iloilo), was designated as part of the World Heritage Site “Baroque Churches of the Philippines” in 1993 by UNESCO.
Cameras are either prohibited or allowed with no flash depending on the museum sections. Below are some of the pictures I managed to take. Click the image to enlarge.
NOTES:
- The trompe-l’oeil painted ceiling of the church, chandeliers and pulpit dating back to the XIXth century, and four of the fourteen side chapels.
- Father Manuel Blanco is regarded as the “prince of Botany” for pioneering in the study of medicinal plants in the Philippines. This bronze monument was made by Amado Castrillo.
- Fray Blanco carried out most of his experiments at this monastery garden which was destroyed in 1945 and restored in 1991.
- The main staircase is made of 44 pieces of Chinese granite stones brought in Canton in 1780. It is topped by a perfectly round stone dome covered with light bricks. Here hangs XVIIIth and XIXth century paintings.
- The crucifix dates back to the XVIIIth century.
- Part of the 68 choir seat carved in molave with fine inlays.
The San Agustin Church is located in Calles Gen Luna and Real in Intramuros and is open daily from 8am to 12nn, then at 1pm to 6pm. Entrance fee is at 80 and 50 pesos for adults and students, respectively.
For more photos, visit Pix.E.Log.
I never knew that San Agustin is a UNESCO WH site! I’ve been planning to go here pero after summer na siguro. Ang init pa e.
My fave is the staircase photo. Nice lighting and perspective.
Ymir ang galing mo. If you dont mind, I’ll put you on my links.
i only knew of it upon visiting the place.. nakita ko kasi yung UNESCO certificate on the museum door. nakakatuwa nga na there is a heritage site that is just within manilenos’ and nearby provinces’ reach.
no problem with the linking, i’ll be linking you as well.
until your next post
Nice set of photos there. Mabisita nga minsan dyan. Last time na nagpunta ako dyan wala pa akong matinong camera. hehe. Wow you’ve convinded me ot actually go there!
ELOISE
pwede din yata magka thumbnail from one image lang though di ko pa na try.
thanks for the visit maestra lucci..
the thumbnail and the big picture are two separate images. they overlay the site because of a plugin called “lightbox”. pa install ka kay ate.
FERDZ
actually gusto ko nga din bumalik uli. masyado akong naging busy sa pagkuha ng pictures that i failed to read yung guide sa tour. feeling ko tuloy ang dami kong na miss.
picture taking guerilla sytle? I have no pictures inside that museum. I also remember many carvings there trace their provenance to my hometown
it really is not guerilla style.. hehe. they allow to take pictures on some site provided that flashes are disabled.
ganun ba? cge papa-install akow!!! thanks thanks!!! Happy Labor DAY!!!:mrgreen: