Visiting history in the 16th century convent church of San Agustin 📷 Malaga - Spain

There are historical places that are impregnated with many experiences that have taken place in the place and when entering them I can feel the passage of history during the tour.

This happened to me when I visited a former convent from the 16th century, a place that has gone through many events, has been used for many purposes since its creation, and today is a church of worship.

I am referring to the Church or Convent of San Agustín. A place that is located in the street that bears the same name today, very close to the Picasso Museum and the Cathedral of the city.

It has a garden in front of the church and can often go unnoticed, if one passes by without looking or being attentive, but its appearance is beautiful. It stands out with its colours and style among the trees and palms.

It is a place much visited by tourists, so masses are held in the morning and in the afternoon it is open to the public and on the day I went to see this church, I could even see whole groups of tourists touring it.

I felt the history inside it, without knowing beforehand what it had been through, from the civil war, death of martyrs, excavations, it has been a hospital, part of the town hall, bishopric until it finally belonged to the Augustinians. There was even a school there. A lot has passed through this building. It has also acted as a deposit for the archaeological excavations of the historical centre and has been part of the university. And in the future it is expected to be a provincial library.

All this I think gives a supreme importance to a place that seems to be hidden behind a garden and between several other historic buildings. If you want to know more information you can see it here.

As I enter I realise how old the place is, although it has been rebuilt and restored many times, but it still retains a dark and gloomy atmosphere, I suppose to protect the works of art, paintings and sculptures that are there. I found the altar area in particular very dark.

Today it is one of the places from where the processions depart during Holy Week and the images of Santa Rita and the Virgen de las Angustias can be found there. I could also see that several historical figures are buried there.

I also found several plaques on the walls explaining the antiquity of the church.

On the floor near the entrance I could see two squares with glass that showed me underground staircases, I suppose for the excavations and for the conservation of the archaeological relics found there.

The walls were decorated with various ancient paintings, sculptures and the corners between walls and columns with beautiful decorations.

There was mostly natural light coming in through the stained glass windows at the top of the church near the ceiling.

There are many images and sculptures in that church. As I always say, beyond the religious theme, I admire the art, the realisation of works of art such as these sculptures, paintings, decorations and the whole environment.

One of the most notorious was Nuestra Señora de las Angustias (Our Lady of Sorrows), her face showed pain and sorrow, anguish, it transmitted that.

The other beautiful image was that of Our Lady of the Council, it reminded me of Maria Auxiliadora, a school I went to in Argentina.

Despite the years that have passed and the fact that many of these images and sculptures were not always in this place, I admire how well maintained they are.

The images of Jesus with the Virgin of Amparo were behind bars to protect them.

Many of these images are the ones that are used in the Holy Week processions, so I always mention that maintaining them must be a big job, taking care of them from blows, for example.

The altar area was in semi-darkness, but it had or gave off a special vibe, delicately lit by that window up in the background and other warm lights. I always tend to see altars brightly lit, this was not the case.

Of course I always pay attention to the ceilings. In this case there were no paintings, but the decorations were very delicate and beautiful.

The floor was not old, you could see that at first glance because its gloss is of a modern material but that restoration complemented well and everything was in harmony, in terms of design and ambience.

As I said before, there were many paintings, most of them very old, you could tell by the darkness of the paint. But there was one that was very recent, from 2011, and it was very well done, the details of the Virgin's face, the attire and the crown, above all.

The doors of the churches are another thing that catches my attention, because I love the wood and the artistic workmanship. I admired it before leaving the place, thinking about how much history has passed through these walls, how much to tell about this place.

Thank you very much for accompanying me on this artistic, but above all historical and touristic journey. I send you my best regards. See you soon.
Amonet.