Iglesia de San Agustín
Iglesia de San Agustín
San Agustin Church (General Luna St, Manila, Intramuros, Metro Manila) – this Roman Catholic church (located in the Spanish colonial Intramuros district) was originally built in 1571 (with bamboo and nipa), but fell victim to fires in 1574 & 1583. The Augustinians that ran this church then rebuilt it with stone in 1586 (along with adding a monastery) – making this the oldest stone church in the country. This church went though more drama when it was looted by British forces during its occupation of Manila in 1762 (during the Seven Years War), as well as withstanding earthquakes that struck the city in 1645, 1699, 1754, 1796, 1825 and 1852. It was also the site of the Spanish forces’ surrender of the Philippines to the U.S. at the end of the Spanish-American War of 1898. This church also went on to withstand the flattering of its district (Intramuros) by American and Filipino forces when they drove the Japanese out of Manila towards the end of World War II. In 1976, this church was declared a National Historic Landmark by the Philippines government.