San Sebastian Church

The Basilica Minore de San Sebastian or, more known as San Sebastian Church, is the seat of the Parish of San Sebastian and the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. It is a fine example of the revival of Gothic architecture in the Philippines. It prides itself as the only all-steel basilica in Asia.[1] The church is under the care of The Order of the Augustinian Recollects and is located at Legarda Street, Quiapo, Manila. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 495 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) San Sebastian Church I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 495 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) San Sebastian Church I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Victoria Tower at the Palace of Westminster, London: Gothic details provided by A.W.N. Pugin The Gothic revival was a European architectural movement with origins in mid-18th century England. ... St. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... The Augustinian Recollects are a Roman Catholic monastic order of men and women. ... Quiapo is a well known district of old Manila and a place which offers cheap prices on items ranging from electronics to native handicrafts. ... Nickname: Map of Metro Manila showing the location of Manila Coordinates: 14°35 N 121° E Country Philippines Region National Capital Region Districts 1st to 6th districts of Manila Barangays 897 Incorporated (city) June 10, 1574 Government  - Mayor Alfredo Lim (GO)  - Vice Mayor Isko Moreno (Asenso Manilenyo/PDP-Laban) Area...

History

In 1621, Don Bernardino Castillo, a generous patron and a well-known devotee of St. Sebastian, Patron of Archers, donated land which is the present site of the San Sebastian Church. The original church, which was made of wood, was burned in 1651 during a Chinese uprising. The succeeding structures were destroyed by fire and earthquakes in 1859, 1863, and 1880.

Fr. Esteban Martinez, the parish priest at that time, approached the Spanish architect, Genero Palacios, with a plan to build a fire and earthquake-resistant church made entirely of steel. Ambeth Ocampo states that the present San Sebastian church was ordered as knockdown steel parts from the Societe Anonyme des Enterprises de Travaux Publiques in Brussels. The steel cable of a colliery winding tower. ...

Two Belgian engineers supervised the construction of the church. On June 12, 1888, the first shipment of steel parts arrived in the Philippines. It took two years for the church to be assembled, with local artists and craftsmen joining the Belgian firm in applying the final finishing touches on this new church of steel. The stained glass windows were imported from the Henri Oidtmann Company, a German stained glass firm. The engineering technique used in the construction of the church, including the metal fixtures and the overall structure, were from Gustave Eiffel, the creator of the Eiffel Tower. This was confirmed when Chinese-American architect, I. M. Pei, visited the Philippines in the late 1970s. He came to confirm what he heard that Gustave Eiffel designed a steel church in Asia. Strictly speaking, stained glass is glass that has been painted with silver stain and then fired. ... Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (December 15, 1832 – December 27, 1923; French pronunciation in IPA, in English usually pronounced in the German manner ) was a French engineer and architect and a specialist of metallic structures. ... The Eiffel Tower (French: , ) is an iron tower built on the Champ de Mars beside the River Seine in Paris, France. ... The Louvre Pyramid, Paris Ieoh Ming Pei (Chinese: 貝聿銘; Pinyin: Bèi Yùmíng; b. ...

Minor Basilica

Interior of Basilica Minore de San Sebastian.

The Church of San Sebastian was raised to the status of a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII on June 24, 1890. The following year, on August 15, 1891, the all-steel church of San Sebastian was inaugurated and blessed. The interior of the church displays groined vaults in the Gothic architecture style. The steel columns, walls and ceiling were painted to resemble marble and jasper by Filipino artist Lorenzo Rocha and his students. True to the Gothic revival spirit of the church are its confessionals, pulpit and altars as designed by Filipino artist Lorenzo Guerrero. He, with fellow artist Eulogio Garcia, carved the statues of holy men and women. Trompe l'oeil paintings was used to decorate the interiors of the church.[2] Image File history File linksMetadata SanSebastianChurch. ... Image File history File linksMetadata SanSebastianChurch. ... The Basilica of St. ... Pope Leo XIII (March 2, 1810 – July 20, 1903), born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, having succeeded Pope Pius IX (1846–78) on February 20, 1878 and reigning until his death in 1903. ... Interior of Cologne Cathedral Gothic architecture is a style of architecture, particularly associated with cathedrals and other churches, which flourished in Europe during the high and late medieval period. ... For other meanings of the term, see column (disambiguation). ... This intricate ceiling is part of the Capitol Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, designed by architect Walter Burley Griffin. ... Venus de Milo, front. ... Polished jasper pebble, one inch (2. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses of Ambo, see Ambo, Ethiopia, Kom Ombo, ambulance Ambo (band). ... Picture of an altar from the Meyer Encyclopaedia An altar, (Hebrew mizbeah, from a word meaning to slay) is any structure on which sacrifices known as the korbanot or incense offerings are offered for religious purposes. ... [[: Le Image:Mural de Narbonne. ...

Preservation

The San Sebastian Church is a declared National Historical Landmark per Presidential Decree No. 260.[3] 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.

In addition, the church was listed among the 1998 World's Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Watch.[4] On May 16, 2006, San Sebastian Church was included in the Tentative list of the World Heritage Site citing its architectural and historical heritage.[5] The World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic art and architecture worldwide through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

External link

• The San Sebastian Church -- Gustave Eiffel's Church in the Philippines.. Accessed March 22, 2007.
• San Sebastian Church - World Heritage Site. Accessed March 22, 2007.
• World's Most Endangered Sites from the World Monuments Watch website. Accessed March 22, 2007.
• Basilica Minore de San Sebastian. Accessed March 22, 2007.
• San Sebastian Basilica Chorus