Away from the rush and gridlock of modern Manila, within the walls of the original Spanish-built district called Intramuros (within the walls), the beginnings of the Catholic faith in the Philippines are shown in artifact and stone. San Agustin Church, the oldest stone church in the Philippines, traces its history to 1571, when Mass was celebrated in Manila by Spanish Augustinian missionaries who accompanied the conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi from Mexico to the South Pacific archipelago.

Fire destroyed the first four wooden churches before Spain’s King Philip II, who lent his name to the Philippines, funded the construction of a stone church and monastery. Work on the new church was completed in 1604, and the present structure is essentially the same. Over the centuries, the church has been ravaged by fire, worn by typhoons, rocked by earthquakes, sacked by bandits and battered by the shells of war.

Yet the solid stone walls have withstood each test, much as the Catholic faith of the Filipino people remains strong amid present challenges from Protestant evangelicals and creeping secularism. About 85% of the population of 70 million people are Catholic — making it the largest Catholic country in Asia.

Trick of the Light

Today, St. Agustin Church is still staffed by Augustinians, though now four of the six are Filipinos. There are three daily Masses and four weekend Masses, with baptisms taking place every Sunday after the 10 a.m. Mass. A youth group meets at the church, and the Knights of Columbus and the Legion of Mary are active here as well.

With its dramatic, vaulted ceiling, grand dome over the sanctuary and ornate high altar, the church is a treasured site for weddings. More than 200 are held here each year. The ceiling art appears to be intricately chiseled stonework, but it’s an illusion: The decorations are painted on masonry in the French trompe l’oeil (fool the eye) style. The work was done by a pair of Italian artists who were traveling with an opera company. While the troupe was playing in Manila in 1875, the Augustinians hired the two scene painters to decorate the church’s interior, adding high French culture to the strong Spanish foundation.

Twelve side chapels, each dedicated to a saint or the passion of Jesus, add to the mystery and mystique of the church, as do the burial stones mounted on the walls and set in the floor. The vaults hold some of Manila’s most notable names, including Spanish governors, generals and archbishops. Prime place is given to Legazpi, whose earthly remains are interred in a sarcophagus in a room right off the main sanctuary. A bronze image of the man lies on the lid.

It seems an unusually sacred location for someone who was neither a cleric nor known for saintly behavior. He was a conqueror and first governor of the Spanish colony. The sarcophagus highlights the often ironic relationship Filipinos hold to their past. Though they do not look favorably upon the 350 years of Spanish colonial rule, they embrace and celebrate the Catholic faith the Spaniards brought.

This dynamic was established with the visit of the first European, Ferdinand Magellan, who landed in the Cebu section of the Philippines while making his way around the globe. The defending natives killed the great navigator as his men fled to the ships to complete their circumnavigation. Yet when Legazpi landed in Cebu 50 years later, he found the people reverencing the Santo Niño (Child Jesus) statue that Magellan had given to the natives. The image, more associated today with the Philippines than with its Spanish patrons, is still venerated by Filipinos.

Augustinian Echoes

Though not many people live within the walled city, which closes at night, many come during the day for Mass, government activities and sightseeing. The church is within walking distance of the Manila Cathedral, the headquarters of the Philippine bishops’ conference and Fort Santiago, where national hero José Rizal was imprisoned before his execution in 1896 by the Spanish authorities. It was the twilight of Spanish colonial power, which ended definitively with the Spanish-American War in 1898, when the United States gained possession of the Philippines.

Adjacent to San Agustin Church is a museum, housed in the former Augustinian monastery and seminary, which is filled with four centuries of artifacts. At the museum entrance rests a massive bell named “The Most Sweet Name of Jesus.” Built in 1829, it was taken from the belfry in 1927 after damage during an earthquake.

The rich mix of cultures that has typified Manila since the Spanish landed is evident in the Spanish, Filipino, Chinese and Mexican artwork on display. The monastery once served as headquarters for the Augustinian order’s Asian province, which built more than 100 churches in the eastern missions, and a wealth of sacred items from the glory days can be seen: solid-gold monstrances, candlesticks and processional crosses; high-stemmed chalices, finely carved altarpieces and gold-threaded Mass vestments.

Most prized among the statues is Our Lady of Consolation, from the 18th century, showing the Blessed Mother holding the Christ Child. Both figures have fine, black hair, wear gold crowns and are covered in gold vestments. Around the head of Mary is an additional crown of stars.

The great, solid, stone structure of the museum is as impressive as the works of art within. Notable is the main staircase to the second floor, made of 44 blocks of Chinese granite that were brought from Canton in 1780. The staircase was damaged by an earthquake in 1990, but restored.

Pacing the long, echoing halls, entering the great rooms that once served as classrooms, study halls and refectories, a visitor can imagine the hundreds of black-robed Augustinians who once filled the building pacing the dusty stones as they prepared to bring the Gospel to the far reaches of the East. Depictions of priests being martyred in Japan line the walls, reminding even the casual observer that the call of Christ comes at a price.

After a tour of the museum, visitors are welcome to linger in Father Blanco’s Garden, which is meticulously maintained. Father Manuel Blanco studied the medicinal properties of plants, gathering specimens from throughout the Philippines, and published Flora de Filipinas in 1883. His garden today, a favorite for wedding parties, is still lush with flora and still smells as sweet.

Stephen Vincent writes from

Wallingford, Connecticut.