The time in which Saint Augustine lived was an era of changes and controversies. The Roman Empire was divided between the Greek East and the Latin West, the city of Rome was sacked by Alaric, and the disputes between pagans and Christians took on new perspectives. Augustine's own life, as reflected in his Confessions, is an example of mutations and internal conflicts: from Manichaeism to the episcopate, from Tagaste to Milan and then to Hippo. As a result of his experience and his works, not only has the Order that bears his name been strengthened, but also a large number of places around the world where an effort is made to observe how, from the human city, people may attempt to aspire to the ultimate city. The saint's literary work entails a constant inner effort to seek the truth, peace, and the unveiling of false idols. A trait that can be observed in the geographical footprint.
One of the oldest municipalities named after Saint Augustine is San Agustín de Guadalix, which until 1916 was simply called San Agustín. Located in the northern area of the Community of Madrid, its origins date back to the Celtiberian era, with sufficient continuity during the centuries of Roman, Visigoth, Muslim, and post-Reconquest domination. On the highest hill of this village stands the parish church of San Agustin, in a sober 16th-century Renaissance style, although it seems it must have begun to be built two centuries earlier. It has two naves, a masonry structure, and a slender four-tiered tower. Over the centuries, the parish has witnessed all kinds of upheavals, including the destruction of its original porch during the Napoleonic invasion.
Another town with historical significance is St. Augustine, Florida, which is considered the oldest city in the United States. Founded in the mid-16th century, it experienced military events from the very beginning. However, at the end of the 17th century, this municipality served as a place where slaves fleeing from the British colonies to the north could take refuge. The conditions of slavery under Spanish rule were lighter than under English rule—because they could legally marry, seek manumission on their own, dispose of property, and even appeal to judges—and, moreover, the Spanish Crown granted freedom to many of these runaways, on the condition that they convert to Catholicism. Thus, the first free settlement for coloured people in the United States was even established: the Fort of Saint Teresa of Mosé, about three kilometers north of St. Augustine. On the other hand, the city has had a church in honor of the saint of Tagaste since its beginnings, which was rebuilt in the 18th century and is now the Basilica Cathedral of St. Augustine.
America, both in the North and especially in the Center and South, is a continent where the name of Saint Augustine is abundant. For example, it is the name of a city in the Mexican state of Jalisco, founded in the 16th century on pre-Hispanic settlements still visible, like a pyramid. Of course, in this town, there is a San Agustin church, rebuilt a century ago. However, the church of the same name in Guadalajara, the state capital, stands out. It is a historical monument that began to be built at the end of the 16th century and was completed a hundred years later. In Baroque style, it was part of the Augustinian convent, whose facilities today are part of the University of Guadalajara.
In Colombia, for instance, there is San Agustín (Huila department), a municipality that may have had the presence of the Order in the 16th or 17th century, although it is also likely that its name is due to Bishop Agustín Gormaz, born in Coruña del Conde (Burgos, Spain), and an Augustinian friar. In this locality, archaeological remains abound and, in fact, it is characterized by its pre-Columbian heritage richness. On the other hand, in Argentina, one of the towns called San Agustín is a village located a few kilometers from the border with Chile, within the province of San Juan. Founded in the 18th century, it grew around a parish of the same name as the town.
On the other side of the planet, in the Philippines, and more specifically on the island of Mindanao, there is another municipality called San Agustin. There are other places with the same name in that country, such as on the island of Luzon, but this site has the particularity of having chosen its name more than half a century ago, when the city of Oteiza was renamed San Agustín, in honor of its patron.
On the continent where the saint was born, the name Agustin is that of many people in countries like Kenya, where the major seminary of San Agustin is located, one of the four main ones in this nation, and situated near Uganda and Lake Victoria. Likewise, at the southern tip of Africa, one can admire the Cathedral of Saint Augustine in Port Elizabeth, with its neo-Gothic inspiration and gleaming stained glass windows. In its beginnings, in the mid-19th century, it was a parish that served the fifty or so Catholics in this South African city. Over time, the community grew, and in 1939 the temple was consecrated as a cathedral; in 1951 the Diocese of Port Elizabeth was established.
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