Basilica Minore de San Sebastian
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| Basilica Minore de San Sebastian | |
 |
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Quiapo, Manila, Philippines |
| Geographic coordinates | |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Year consecrated | 1891 |
| Ecclesiastical status | Minor basilica |
| Functional status | active |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Genaro Palacios |
| Architectural type | Basilica |
| Architectural style | Neo-Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1888 |
| Year completed | 1891 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | steel, mixed sand, gravel & cement |
The Basilica Minore de San Sebastian, better known as San Sebastian Church, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Manila, the Philippines. It is the seat of the Parish of San Sebastian and the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
Completed in 1891, San Sebastian Church is noted for its architectural features. An example of the revival of Gothic architecture in the Philippines, it has been recognized by the UNESCO as the only all-steel church or basilica in Asia.[1] It has also been implausibly reputed to be the first prefabricated building in the world,[2] and more plausibly claimed as the only prefabricated steel church in the world.[3] In 2006, San Sebastian Church was included in the Tentative List for possible designation as a World Heritage Site. It was designated as a National Historical Landmark by the Philippine government in 1973.[4]
San Sebastian Church is under the care of The Order of the Augustinian Recollects, who also operate a college adjacent to the basilica. It is located at Plaza del Carmen, at the eastern end of Claro M. Recto Street, in Quiapo, Manila.[5]
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[edit] History
In 1621, Don Bernardino Castillo, a generous patron and a devotee of the Christian martyr Saint Sebastian, donated the land which is the current site of San Sebastian Church for the construction of a church. The original church, made of wood, burned in 1651 during a Chinese uprising. The succeeding structures, which were built of brick, were destroyed by fire and earthquakes in 1859, 1863, and 1880.[5]
In the 1880s, Esteban Martinez, the parish priest of the ruined church, approached the Spanish architect, Genaro Palacios, with a plan to build a fire and earthquake-resistant structure made entirely of steel. Palacios completed a design that fused Earthquake Baroque with the Neo-Gothic style.[5] His final design was said to have been inspired by the famed Gothic Burgos Cathedral in Burgos, Spain.[5]
[edit] Construction
The prefabricated steel sections that would compose San Sebastian Church were manufactured in Binche, Belgium.[1] According to the historian Ambeth Ocampo, the knockdown steel parts were ordered from the Societe Anonyme des Enterprises de Travaux Publiques in Brussels.[6] In all, 52 tons of prefabricated steel sections were transported in eight separate shipments from Belgium to the Philippines, the first shipment arriving in 1888.[5] Belgian engineers supervised the assembly of the church, the first column of which was erected on September 11, 1890.[7] The walls were filled with mixed sand, gravel and cement.[4] The stained glass windows were imported from the Henri Oidtmann Company, a German stained glass firm, while local artisans assisted in applying the finishing touches of the steel church.[1]
The Church of San Sebastian was raised to the status of a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII on June 24, 1890.[4] Upon its completion the following year, on August 16, 1891, Basilica Minore de San Sebastian was consecrated by the Archbishop of Manila, Bernardo Nozaleda.[4]
[edit] Gustave Eiffel's role
Although this is unconfirmed in the official histories of the church,[8] it has long been reputed that Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer behind the Eiffel Tower and the steel structure within the Statue of Liberty, was involved in the design and construction of San Sebastian Church.[2][8][6]
The connection between Eiffel and San Sebastian Church was reportedly confirmed by historian Ambeth Ocampo while doing research in Paris.[8] Ocampo likewise published a report that in the 1970s, the famed architect I. M. Pei had visited Manila to confirm reports he had heard that Eiffel had designed an all-steel church in Asia. When Pei inspected San Sebastian Church, he reportedly pronounced that the metal fixtures and overall structure were indeed designed by Eiffel.[6]
Nonetheless, it is said that the official catalogues of Eiffel make possible reference to the design and exportation of a church in Manila in 1875, or thirteen years before construction of San Sebastian Church actually began.[6] If true, this would still not preclude the possibility that Eiffel had designed the metal structure of the church, with Palacios completing the actual design of the entire church.[6]
[edit] Features
San Sebastian Church is the first and only all-steel church in Asia.[1][4] It has two openwork towers and steel vaulting. The basilica's central nave is twelve meters from the floor to the dome, and thirty-two meters to the tip of the spires.[4]
The interior of the church displays groined vaults in the Gothic architecture style.[1] The steel columns, walls and ceiling were painted by Filipino artist Lorenzo Rocha and his students to give off a faux-marble and jasper appearance.[1] Trompe l'oeil paintings were used to decorate the interiors of the church.[6] True to the Gothic revival spirit of the church are its confessionals, pulpit, altars and five retablos as designed by Filipino artist Lorenzo Guerrero,[9] as well as Rocha. The sculptor Eusebio Garcia carved the statues of holy men and women.[10] Six holy water fonts were constructed for the church, each crafted from marble obtained from Romblon.[11]
Above the main altar of the church is an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, given to the church by Carmelite sisters from Mexico City in 1617.[4] The image withstood all the earthquakes and fires which had destroyed previous incarnations of San Sebastian Church, but its ivory head was stolen in 1975.[4]
[edit] Preservation
In recent years, San Sebastian Church has encountered threats to its structural integrity. The steel church has been beset by rust and corrosion, which the sea breezes from nearby Manila Bay contribute to.[8] In 1998, San Sebastian Church was placed on the biennial watchlist of the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Fund, though it was not retained in the subsequent watchlists.[12]
San Sebastian Church was a declared National Historical Landmark by President Ferdinand Marcos through Presidential Decree No. 260 in 1973.[1] State funding was accorded to the church through the National Historical Institute which undertook restoration of the church in 1982. The Recollect community has likewise expended funds for the church's maintenance and restoration.[1]
On May 16, 2006, San Sebastian Church was included in the Tentative List for possible designation as a World Heritage Site, on account of its architectural and historical heritage.[1]
[edit] Gallery
 Frescoes inside San Sebastian Church |
 Lectern near the main altar of San Sebastian Church |
 One of the stained glass windows from Germany inside San Sebastian Church |
 The main altar of San Sebastian Church |
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i World Heritage: San Sebastian Church. Tentative List for the World Heritage List. UNESCO. Retrieved on 2008-04-20.
- ^ a b Layug, p. 88. "The basilica is the first and only all-steel church in Asia, the second in the world after the Eiffel Tower of Paris (French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel himself is also rumored to have been involved in the basilica's construction) and probably the first prefabricated building in the world."
- ^ (2005) in Francis Doral: Insight Guides: Philippines. Singapore: Discovery Channel & Apa Publications GmbH & Co. Verlag KG, 152. “Near where Recto Avenue becomes Mendiola Street is San Sebastian Church, reputedly the only prefabricated steel church in the world.”
- ^ a b c d e f g h Layug, p. 88
- ^ a b c d e Layug, p. 87
- ^ a b c d e f Findelle de Jesus. The San Sebastian Church -- Gustave Eiffel's Church in the Philippines. Artes de las Filipinas: A Website in Honor of Philippine Arts and Antiquities. Artes de las Filipinas. Retrieved on 2008-04-20.
- ^ Layug, p. 87-88
- ^ a b c d Howie Severino (2006-05-30). An Eiffel in Quiapo. Howie Severino's Sidetrip. GMA Network. Retrieved on 2008-04-20.
- ^ Trota Jose, Regalado; Pacific Asia Museum (1990). Images of Faith: Religious Ivory Carvings from the Philippines. Pacific Asia Museum, 27. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
- ^ Layug, pp. 88-89.
- ^ Institute of Science and Technology (1919). "The Philippine Journal of Science". The Philippine Journal of Science: 88. Science and Technology Information Institute.
- ^ WMF Past Watch Sites. World Monuments Fund. Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
[edit] References
- Layug, Benjamin Locsin (2007). A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches. Pasig City, Philippines: New Day Publishers, 87-89. ISBN 971-8521-10-0.
- World Heritage: San Sebastian Church. Tentative List for the World Heritage List. UNESCO. Retrieved on 2008-04-20.
[edit] External links
- Basilica Minore de San Sebastian. Accessed March 22, 2007.
- San Sebastian Basilica Chorus. Accessed April 21, 2008.
