San Agustin Church, Intramuros, Manila

San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila was built from 1587 to 1606 by architect Juan Macia under the supervision of Augustinian missionaries. It was made entirely of hewn stones cut from the quarries of San Mateo, Guadalupe, and Meycawayan. In 1863, one of its two belfries of Doric and Corinthian design was destroyed by an earthquake. Two Italian artists—a certain Dibella and Alberoni—tediously painted its vaulted dome and ceiling, creating an illusion of wooden carvings. Its ornate retablo is adorned with gold and silver plated tabernacle with the statue of Saint Augustine at the center. It has an oratorio and a choir loft that housed 68 molave seats, a pipe organ brought from Macau by Fr Miguel Serrano in 1608, and a big lectern with liturgical cantorals also brought from Macau by Fr Felix Trillo in 1731.