The management of the historic San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila, issued new visitor guidelines to maintain order and sanctity of the sacred site amid leisure visits to the area.
A Facebook user on Wednesday, August 8, shared a sign that the church posted by the entrance which reads:
ANNOUNCEMENT
In order to preserve the prayerful atmosphere, through silence, inside the Church, guided tours inside the Church building WILL NOT BE ALLOWED.
Churchgoers/Guests/Tourists may enter, pray, and sit in prayerful silence inside.
NOT ALLOWED INSIDE:
- Guided tours (Tours with explanation. However, tour guides may use whisper equipment system if they want to provide explanation to tourists inside the Church)
- Taking of pictures inside.
WHERE TO GIVE EXPLANATION?
Explanation of the Church historical details may be done at the Church patio.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation
The sign was a revision of an earlier one flagged by a Facebook user, who urged church management to “find a middle ground” rather than “outright ban people” from entering the site.
The sign previously posted by the church’s entrance reads:
PLEASE READ. REMINDER: KEEP SILENT
If you want to take a picture’s, just stay at the CHURCH ENTRANCE ONLY.
Only those who Pray will be ALLOWED inside the CHURCH.
No one will go around inside the CHURCH, just sit on the chair and Pray.
THANK YOU!!
The earlier signage sparked discussions among Filipinos, with the uploader expressing hope that church management would find a way to “stop gatekeeping” the site.
The San Agustin Church has been inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the four Baroque Churches in the Philippines.
“Okay, this has gone too far. I understand the need to preserve the sanctity of the church, as San Agustin Church is an active structure. But to outright ban people from entering a UNESCO world heritage site is outright bonkers,” Facebook user Benjamin Canapi wrote on Tuesday, August 5.
“Start a conversation, try to find a middle ground, let’s make this work. Game ako to paying a donation for every person I bring in, for example. But stop gatekeeping the San Agustin Church. This won’t help the visitors, Intramuros, or the church itself,” he added.
Others shared their experiences visiting the site and how these may relate to the newly implemented policy.
“Dapat nito i-negotiate. Regulated entries can be a remedy. I was there last month, marami rin kasing unruly. May misa sa loob pero maingay ang tourists. And they’re all over the place, no restraint, all chaotic,” a Facebook user wrote.
“REMINDER!! This is a CHURCH, not a museum. While San Agustin Church is indeed a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is foremost a place of worship,” another shared.
“Every time I visit — often to see Augustinian priest friends — I witness tourists who fail to show even the basic respect due in a sacred space. You are in a house of God, not a tourist attraction. Respect the sanctity. Protect its dignity,” the online user added.
San Agustin Church is an all-stone church complex that is the oldest stone church in the country, completed in 1607 during the Spanish Colonial Period.
The structure has been “relatively unchanged since its construction,” according to the National Museum of the Philippines.
Designed in the Neoclassical-Baroque style, the church is among the favorite wedding venues in Manila for its detailed and grand interiors.
It has seen the weddings of personalities like Dominique Cojuangco, the daughter of Gretchen Barretto, and celebrity makeup artist Anthea Bueno.
