Church of St. Augustine - Catholic church, which is under the auspices of the Augustinian monks and located in the historic district of Intramuros in Manila. Built in 1607, the church is the oldest building in the Philippines. In 1993, it, along with three other Filipino churches built during the Spanish colony, made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the category "Philippine baroque church." In addition, since 1976 the church of St. Augustine is a national historical landmark, protected by the government.

The present church - the third in a row, built on the site in honor of St. Augustine. The first church was also the first religious building, built by the Spaniards on the island of Luzon. Made of bamboo and palm tree, it was completed in 1571, but three years later was burned in a fire. The second church - the same wood - also suffered from a severe fire in 1583. Members of the Order of St. Augustine decided to rebuild the church, but this time to build it out of the stone. They also decided to build a monastery nearby. Construction began in 1586 and dragged on for years due to lack of funds and materials. Only in 1604 he began to operate the monastery and the church was officially opened in 1607.

In 1762 the Church of St. Augustine was looted by British soldiers, who occupied Manila during the Seven Years War. Only in 1854 were carried out restoration work under the guidance of architect Luciano Oliveira. Nine years later in Manila was the strongest earthquake that left the city in ruins and only the church of St. Augustine miraculously survived. Another strong earthquake occurred in 1880 - as a result of a church bell tower collapsed left. It is said that the foundation of the church in the form of an ellipse has allowed it to survive as devastating earthquakes.

In 1898, it was here, in the church of St. Augustine, the Spanish governor-general Fermig Haudenes transferred control of the Philippines to the United States. But during the Japanese occupation of the island during World War II, the church was turned into a concentration camp for prisoners of war. In the last days of the Battle of Intramuros Manila, hundreds of residents and clergy were taken hostage at the Japanese soldiers, many of them were later brutally murdered. However, the church itself survived during the bombing of Intramuros - the only one of the seven churches in the area. But standing next to the monastery was completely destroyed, and only in the 1970s, has been renovated and turned into a museum.

Today, the church of St. Augustine - a valuable historical and cultural monument of the Philippines. Its facade is quite modest, even here often say that it lacks the grace and charm. But he is famous for its Baroque decorations, especially wooden carvings on the doors. The courtyard of the church is decorated with several granite sculptures of lions, donated by the Chinese Catholics. Inside, the church has the shape of a Latin cross with side chapels and 14 amazingly beautiful ceiling, painted in 1875 by Italian artists. Over choirs located benches, carved in the 17th century by hand from a tropical tree.

In the church the graves of the Spanish conquistadors Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, Juan de Salchedo and Martin de Gojty, as well as several governors-general and archbishops.