ANG PINAKA MATANDANG SIMBAHAN SA METRO MANILA AY ANG. . .
SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH, Intramuros, Manila
It is the “Mother of all Churches,” having been the oldest catholic church in the country. It was constructed in 1587 and finished in 1604. This church has survived earthquakes, fires, typhoons and when Manila was bombed out by the Americans to flush out theJapanese in World War II, the second most destroyed city in the world after Warsaw in Poland, it was the only structure left standing in Intramuros suffering a gaping hole in what is now the “Chapel of Legeazpi” and damaged bell tower.. This church is a significant monument to the Spanish colonization in the Philippines, being the first religious structure built in Luzon, after the Spanish relocated from Cebu in the south. The church is more than just an architectural icon. A side chapel next to the main altar is dedicated to the Spanish Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the founder of Manila. His remains were re-buried here by Augustinians, unidentified and mixed along with others, after they were ruthlessly unearthed by the British who were searching for golden treasures in 1762. |