When I came upon San Agustin’s the weather was conspiring to give Intramuros a good clean. The church appeared dowdy and glum, even depressed yet there is no doubt that San Agustin Church is a survivor, an old dame in fact.

“San Agustin Church was looted by the British forces who occupied Manila in 1762. On 3 June 1863, the strongest earthquake at that time, hit Manila leaving widespread destruction to the city with San Agustin Church, the only public building left undamaged. A series of strong earthquakes struck Manila again on 18–20 July 1880. This time, the tremors left a large crack in the east bell tower. The crack was eventually repaired, but the left tower was permanently removed with only the base remaining today. The church withstood the other major earthquakes in 1645, 1699, 1754, 1796, 1825, 1852, 1863 and 1880 and served as a hospital for several of those injured during the earthquake in 1863.

During the Japanese occupation of World War II, San Agustin Church became a concentration camp and in the final days of the Battle of Manila, hundreds of Intramuros residents and clergy were held hostage in the church by Japanese soldiers with many hostages killed during the three-week-long battle. The church itself was the only building not leveled by combined American and Filipino ground forces who ‘liberated’ Intramuros in May 1945.” (adapted from Wikipedia)