My Share for #BeautifulSunday initiated by @ace108

A church which survived fire, multiple earthquakes and invasion. It is the oldest stone church in the Philippines which dates back from 1587. Located in Intramuros, Manila it is considered as a National Historical site and today it is a popular tourist destination. Join me today as I take you on a walk to see the...........

San Agustin Church

A popular church for weddings it is always fully booked and it would be very hard to get a schedule if you are planning to get married in this church. It was something I did not expect as it was the first time for me to visit the church. I was there at the right time as a wedding was about to begin. This beautiful scene of the bride who is about to enter the church is very dramatic. Lights would flood the church as soon as the doors are opened giving an angelic entrance for the bride.

Unfortunately since there is a wedding going on. Tourists are not allowed to come inside until the wedding is over. Something which did not bother me at all as there are a lot of details outside the church to keep me occupied.

During the Spanish colonial era this church was established in 1571 which was only made of bamboo at that time. It burned to the ground during an invasion and then was rebuilt with wooden material. Due to a candle during a funeral the church burned again and when it was rebuilt they used stone the third time around. It is also know that it is the only church that endured World War II.

Chinese lions guards the front of the church along with the statue of Saint Agustine. There were four statues of the Chinese lions and I know you would think why would there be Chinese statues in front of a Spanish church. This is answered with records of Chinese trade settlers who lived in our country during this era. There were Chinese workers who helped built this church. If you are interested to know more about the settlers feel free to visit my post from last Sunday

Tsinoy.

The massive doors of the church are beautifully decorated. Each detail on the door is an artwork on it's own. I just stood there for a while just examining the details and just imagined how these doors stood the test of time surviving calamities and war. Although the artist of the door was not mentioned. This artwork would remain immortal that would echo to the coming generations. I could not wait to see what awaits me inside the church. More artifacts which are full of history and stories run thru my head. Still the wedding is not yet over so we had to wait outside for a little bit longer. I waited along side locals and foreigners alike who were also eager to come inside the church.

While waiting outside a crowd was building up and I saw a familiar face amusing the crowd. It was Carlos Celdran who is a very popular tour guide / performance artist in Intramuros. He is quite very vocal when it comes to his beliefs which made him very popular and unpopular to a lot of people. He charges around $25.00 for his guided tour around this historic place. The humor that he adds to his tour attracts more people to book for his scheduled tours.

Finally the wedding was over and we were finally allowed to go inside the church.

There were still a lot of people as there was a baptism in progress.

The church is also adorned with French chandeliers which adds character to this place. Started out as a small church made from bamboo and evolved into bricks and stone with glamorous chandeliers is an amazing history behind it all.

There also sections on the side where religious figures are displayed. People light candles, pay their respects and pray.

Another highlight of this church is it's ceiling which is the Trompe l’oeil style. A three dimensional painting of the ceiling painted by Italian artist during the late 18th century. I never really noticed it from the start until my daughter @bearkid told me about it. Victorian design the details are spectacular and looks and feels like that the design is carved on the ceiling.

The work on the ceiling has been done for more than a year. The fee for the work is as told was around $154 which is a very large amount during that time.

Up on the balcony I noticed a pipe organ which captured my attention. I needed to have a closer look .

Up on the balcony is where the choir area was located. Beautiful seats for the choir and a large choir book in the center. Must have been heavenly to listen to the choir sing while the pipe organ played. Seeing all of these makes my head spin and my mind just drifts away imagining how the songs of the choir sounded like. The large pipe organ dwarfed me and it's roar must have echoed outside the church when it started to play.

The view from the balcony is magnificent seeing those French chandeliers and the elaborately painted ceiling. The beauty was overwhelming not everyone appreciates these things but it has caught me and my heart races everytime I visit a church. This particular one is quite unique for me compared to the previous churches I have visited. Elaborately decorated and I even forgot to look for and focus on the painted glass which I so much adore.

Thank you so much for joining me today in this #beautifulsunday which I would say is very much beautiful indeed. Looking forward to visit more churches soon when given the chance and I hope if someone out there has the same passion as me. Please do leave some comments or suggestions which I would greatly appreciate.

Hope to see you again soon.

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All photos are original and taken with

Lumix GX85 and 12-32 mm