Dantruong Travel & Tourism

Travel fatigue at the heart of Manila, Philippines, seemed to disappear after setting foot in Intramuros, the area that invites fantasy floated down the hall toward civilization 200 years ago. Image Alt
The whole point of Intramuros shows the permanence of the past civilizations. Time and the development of civilization does not erode the taste of Spain in Intramuros was not far from the heart of the city of Manila.

Regions in the coastal city of Manila that literally means “on the wall”. The old city in the Philippines had developed since the sixteenth century, when Spain ruled the Philippines.

At that time, the Spanish government to make Intramuros as the exclusive area of Spanish descent. This area is made sterile from ethnic groups, such as native Philippines and Tiong Hoa, by building a stone wall around the city.

The development of culture and governance systems in line with the development of Spanish Christian. Be the first region to be one basis of the spread of Christianity in the form of faith and liturgy (worship) Catholic.

Embryo marker spread the Catholic faith in Intramuros is the church of San Agustin. The church was a witness of religious and political missions Spanish government in the region.

San Agustin is one of the old church in Flipina functioning as the center of the Catholic liturgy. This church age is 200 years old.

Liturgy and the Arts

San Agustin is one marker of Manila.

The church was also the starting point for the development of Christianity, which handles the bulk of life of Filipinos today.

The existence of the San Agustin was followed by the development of other cultural centers, including the construction of several churches in almost all over the Philippines.

Agency of the United Nations for Education, Science, and Culture (UNESCO) set the church of San Agustin as a world cultural heritage in 1994.

UNESCO decision on the grounds that a two-story church that kept the values of cultural richness that is very high, ranging from the historical value, aesthetic, and liturgical.

These three values are merged into a single string of stories in every room and hallway of the church. Each space storing various objects of historical, aesthetic, and liturgical.

Basically, the spaces in the church of San Agustin is divided into two groups, namely the liturgy (Mass) and museums.

The main building of the church for the routine functioning of the church, such as mass, weddings, and some other Catholic liturgy.

While other buildings serve as a museum a place to store the various objects and dokumentassi images and writings about the Catholic faith and the development of civilization and the surrounding Intramuros residents.

Visitors will immediately Cleaner dealing with buildings pale yellow when set foot in the courtyard of San Agustin.

The building served as a church. Form and function as a church and could be arrested immediately because almost every surface of the walls are carved various symbols and figures of the Catholic clergy.

Interior design of the church which was built in 1571 holds the sculpture curves and color combinations are countless.

To the layman, the entire surface of the wall in the San Agustin-like media of artistic expression, where murals and sculpture together.

One of the artworks on display in front of the eyes is the tabernacle or storage of bread for the meal service.

Tabernacle of San Agustin in the building resembles a building. With nearly ten mater high and approximately five feet wide, it presents the tabernacle and spiritual works of art in the extraordinary scale.

Just above the tabernacle, Jesus statue stands two meters tall flanked by two one-meter tall candles. Meanwhile, the entire surface of the tabernacle covered similar material in a shiny metal color combinations of white, green, and yellow.

Tabernacle of the same surface is also decorated with various trinkets and religious sculptures, ranging from the symbols to figure Catholic figures.

That said, the tabernacle trinkets were directly imported from Rome in 1595.

Another focus in the church of San Agustin is the altar. Long banquet table that stood five yards on four lempeg carved stone cross and decorated with many reliefs and figures Catholic figures.

According to early church tradition, the altar is not merely a table, as well as a grave marker beneath.

That is why a priest would kiss the altar before the Mass ended, although it was only a mere ritual and ceremonial symbolism and tradition in the modern church today.

Masterpieces of art and other liturgies in San Agustin stored neatly in the museum which is right next to the church building.

Two-story museum that presents a variety of objects misisonaris Catholic heritage, and various works of art in the form of statues and other objects.

San Agustin Church Museum consists of two floors. Each floor consists of a variety of spaces that have different names and functions.

In general, the space saving liturgical objects and works of art in the form of sculptures and paintings about the activities of the Catholic faith and trust.

A stone staircase connecting the first floor and second floor of the museum.

Based on the written record, the steps consisted of 44 granite plates are directly imported from China in 1780.

Room on the second floor museum is set up with the same concept. Each room provides a variety of art and historical objects related to the Catholic mission.

Sebgian stored objects, ranging from paintings, wood sculpture, stone sculptures, chairs, and facilities from the religious ceremony of cultures in the 1800s or earlier.

Some collections are also related to cultural contacts between Europe and Asia.

Crosscultural

The church and museum of San Agustin is one of a number of cultural and religious center in the Philippines.

Local government gave a big attention to care and the development of cultural reserve areas, which became a symbol and main attraction.

National Commission for Culture and Arts Philippines claims to have 26 treatments of the church building that is identified as a local cultural treasure.

A church building is classified as cultural property, based arstitekturnya characteristics.

Based on the study commission, most of the historic church building in the Philippines to integrate European art and Asian architecture. Regardless, the complexity of the art of architecture, the church has taken an important role in the spiritual development of religion 58 million Catholics in the Philippines.

Blend European and Asian cuisine is also seen in the church of San Agustin. Some space in the church and museum of San Agustin is built using the basic materials of wood, with distinctive motifs and ornaments Asia.

For example, shutters and doors in several rooms created by using a series of wooden meyilang arranged, just as often found in Japan and China.

Embodiment of cultural contacts between Europe and Asia can also be seen in the porcelain on the second floor of the museum of San Agustin. The room was kept specific things Chinese, especially the variety made from porcelain.

The same room also stores a variety of craft objects by Philippine natives, mostly a tool to support daily activities, such as cooking equipment and plant.

It also presented a variety of documentation in the form of a picture of trading activity, both among fellow nations of Asia, and between the peoples of Asia and Europe.

One of the documents on display is a map that contains a series of islands in the southeast Asia region. In the map, not terliha clear boundary between Kalimantan (Borneo called) and Malaysia.

Each room and ornaments in San Agustin offers romance of historical and liturgical experience the way of civilization in the Philippines.

San Agustin is also a documentation of cultural contacts between nations. Inquirer, the local media, the love of culture mengigatkan should underlying intention to preserve the San Agustin who always stand up to testify about the bitter history and relations between nations.

“We can imagine the existence within the walls of the city was destroyed before the war in 1945. What was left was a wall, and of course the church of San Agustin who is now a world heritage,” writes San Agustin Inquirer challenged.