San Agustin Church’s 400-year-old choir loft restored

The wear and tear of four centuries on the choir loft of San Agustin Church in Intramuros has been remedied by painstaking conservation work that took three years—and the results have now been unveiled.

Officials on Wednesday inaugurated the Baroque church's newly restored choir loft at a ceremony attended by Spanish Ambassador Luis Calvo and Jaime C. Laya, chairman of the Escuella Taller de Filipinas Foundation, which accomplished the restoration.

According to Escuella Taller in a statement, the conservation of the choir loft took three years and was supervised by Dr. Esperanza Gatbonton. It included ensuring the structural integrity of the ceiling vault and the walls; the "reinterpretation" by artist Guy Custodio of the ceiling mural painted by Giovannie Alberoni and Cesare Dibella in 1875; and the repair of the sillería (wooden choir stalls) and the 68 intricately carved chairs in them.

The San Agustin Church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Cultural Treasure.

Escuela Taller de Filipinas is a training center based in Intramuros. Its work centers on the restoration of heritage sites, and its students mostly come from underprivileged communities such as Baseco Compound in Manila. According to the foundation, it trains the students in "traditional construction and conservation methods" that enable them to work in heritage restoration.

The choir loft's restoration was funded partly by a grant from Spain's Ministry of Labor. — BM, GMA News