This beautiful church sits across the street from the Presidential Palace grounds. The carvings on the massive entry are super, the backside shows the more simple side. This church has an entire animatronic town surrounding the creche as well as a visualization of the town in the sand. Very creative. On the sanctuary walls there are paintings of what appear to be wealthy patrons.

When I visited this church there was mass attended by mainly (high ranking) military men in green uniforms, many of them accompanied by their wife, wearing bright red robes. White and yellow (gold) are the main colors of the church interior. So altogether quite a sight. A brass band on the upper level played orderly music. Saint Augustin to whom this 17th century church is dedicated was the originator of the 'just war' theory, exempting the soldier in service of a legitimate government from one of the ten commandments 'thou shalt not kill'. In his view 'to use the sword against wicked people' was justifiable and in line with Roman Catholic doctrine. The architecture of the church reflects this vision of strength to overcome weakness.and wickedness. What I found remarkable is the focus on Jezus Christ (main altar and side chapels) who did not only suffer for the sins of mankind, but also died for them. Perhaps to die for an ideal is an appealing notion for a military man, though at the time the church was built 1637 - 1668, the violence against the indigenous people was probably less honorable.