I first went to San Sebastian Church when I joined the Black Nazarene Holy Week Traslacion with a friend. We went inside San Sebastian Church to rest and pray, and I couldn't help but marvel at its beauty, outside as well as inside. Fast forward many years later, I was back at San Sebastian Church with Mommy Khris to get her baptismal certificate as part of our wedding requirements. Anyway, in the old district of Quiapo, Manila, San Sebastian Church stands tall and
magnificent, as if it knows its prominence in history. The San Sebastian
Church is an all-steel edifice, the only such church in the Philippines and
one of the few structures in the world to be made almost entirely out of
metal.
Heritage Series: the all-steel San Sebastian Church
Its neo-Gothic architecture is also unique at a time when baroque structures were more favored during the Spanish colonial era of the Philippines. In every aspect, it is a work of art.
Seeing San Sebastian Church for the first time
Before my first visit to the San Sebastian Church, I only saw it in pictures, in magazines, and in my history books. When I finally saw it in person, I remember being in awe of this church. San Sebastian Church looked like it was transported right out of Europe. It was magnificent, the ceiling was high, and the details of its design looked intricate.
My feeling was the same when we went back to San Sebastian Church a few years after that first visit. It felt like being in a different world, somehow an oasis in the middle of the busy streets surrounding San Sebastian Church. I didn't feel like leaving the refuge of this church.
History of San Sebastian Church
The history of San Sebastian Church dates back as early as the year 1611, when older churches built by Recollect friars stood at the present site of
San Sebastian Church. However, these were destroyed by fires and earthquakes in 1859, 1863, and 1880.
In the 1880s, the parish priest Esteban Martinez approached Spanish architect Genaro Palacios to design a church that could withstand fire,
earthquakes, and other natural calamities. The solution was to build an all-steel structure that can defy the elements as well as the test of time.
In no time,
pre-fabricated steel segments
were manufactured in Belgium, shipped to the Philippines, and assembled by
Belgian engineers. The stained glass windows, meanwhile, were ordered from
Germany. The church was solemnly blessed on August 16, 1891.
San Sebastian Church was included as one of the National Shrines,
Monuments, and/or Landmarks in President Ferdinand Marcos’
Presidential Decree No. 260
in 1973 and a
National Cultural Treasure
by the National Museum of the Philippines on August 15, 2011.
How to go to San Sebastian Church
Alternatively, you can take LRT 1, alight at Central Station, and ride a jeepney bound for San Miguel, Quiapo. You may ask the jeepney driver to drop you off in front of San Sebastian Church.
Similar stories
For similar stories about churches, please read the following articles:
- Heritage Series: Poblacion, the Old District of Makati
- Heritage Series: Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church (Guadalupe Church)
- Heritage Series: Our Lady of Manaoag Church, Pangasinan
- Heritage Series: Churches in Nueva Ecija
- Heritage Series: Visita Iglesia in Arayat, Pampanga
- Heritage Series: Visita Iglesia in Sta. Ana Church, Pampanga
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Hi! Have you tried joining on their church heritage tour?
Hello, not yet but I am interested to join a walking tour around old Manila. I believe it includes San Sebastian Church. But I have heard that there's a dedicated tour for San Sebastian Church alone.