Church of San Agustin, Málaga

Church in Málaga

CC BY-SA 3.0 / Gab416

The Church of San Agustin is located Calle San Agustín next to the Palacio de Buenavista, in the Historic Center of the city of Malaga, Spain.

The building has three parts: church, school and monks' residence. The church's beautiful courtyard is next to the Museo Picasso Málaga, on one of the streets that best preserves its original structure. The convent has always been linked to teaching work.

History of Malaga’s Church of San Agustin

The building dates from the 16th century and was bought by the Augustinian friars in 1575. In the building passed into the hands of the State.

The old convent and school of San Agustín, whose building housed the municipal archive and museum of Malaga in the 19th century. Picasso’s father was a curator of the museum and, in compensation for salary delays, they let him have his painting workshop there. Pablo remembered perfectly the visits to his father’s workshop, where he made his popular paintings of pigeons.

What Other Travellers Say...

Reviews Summary

4.5 (194)

Church of St. Augustine (Augustinian Fathers), on C. San Agustín in Málaga's Centro district, is a restrained Baroque church formerly part of an Augustinian convent; visitors praise its dignified façade, pleasant exterior colours and peaceful interior, note an unusual green altar, and mention the adjoining cloister now linked to the Picasso Museum, making it a compact, worthwhile stop in the historic quarter.

Dr Juan F Martínez-Canca

9 months ago

"Tucked into the very soul of Málaga's historic quarter, the Church of San Agustín (Iglesia de San Agustín) does not trumpet its presence withgrandeur or opulence. Instead, it whispers—patiently and eloquently—through centuries of stone, devotion, and scholarly contemplation. Its baroque façade, restrained and dignified, stands like a weathered page from a sacred manuscript, inviting the attentive traveller to step inside and read the city’s spiritual history in hushed tones and amber light. Built in the late 16th century on the site of an earlier mosque, San Agustín is a confluence of transitions: from Islamic to Christian, from Gothic to Baroque, from cloistered silence to communal worship. Once the heart of the Augustinian convent, its corridors once echoed with the footsteps of friars whose lives were marked by reflection, learning, and an unflinching pursuit of divine wisdom. And here, one ca ot help but imagine the ghostly presence—no, the philosophical **impression**—of Saint Augustine himself, whose restless heart sought truth as others seek air. This sanctuary, though born a mille ium after his time, seems to echo his Confessions in brick and mortar. The very air feels steeped in the paradoxes he so eloquently articulated: the beauty of the world and the gravity of sin, the joy of discovery and the anguish of doubt, the yearning for permanence in a fleeting existence. The adjoining cloister, now housing part of the Picasso Museum, retains a serene gravity—stone columns entwined with ivy, silent fountains speaking in tongues older than any empire. If one lingers long enough, one might hear the gentle murmur of a friar reading from *De Civitate Dei* beneath the Andalusian sun. Today, San Agustín is more than just a church. It is a living threshold—between past and present, body and spirit, silence and the spoken word. It reminds us, as Augustine once wrote, that “the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” To stand beneath its vaults is to turn a page few have read, but none forget...."

See More See Less

Jhoan Sterenberg

a year ago

"Nice old church. First time I have seen green altar."

Mirek Zabski

a year ago

"Church of the Convent of San Agustín was established in the 16th Century C.E. Baroque architecture. Formerly an abbey of the Order of SaintAugustine. Now the church is open to the public. I recommend a visit. February 2024...."

See More See Less

The Church of San Agustin appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Málaga!

Moira & Andy

Hey! We're Moira & Andy. From hiking the Camino to trips around Europe in Bert our campervan — we've been traveling together since retirement in 2020!

Read our full story here

This website uses affiliate links which may earn a commission at no additional cost to you!