In cover photo: San Sebastian is a favorite venue for Catholic weddings

I was ten years old when I first visited the San Sebastian church more formally known as the Basilica Minore de San Sebastián. It was one of the stops of our clan’s yearly visita iglesia practice and all I could remember from that first visit was that it was cavernous and teeming with devotees. In 2010, upon the suggestion of my professor in cultural heritage, the highly-esteemed Dr. Fernando Nakpil Zialcita, I sent an email to architectural conservator Tina Paterno to know more about the church. After our initial correspondence, I was invited to again visit that fabled church in Quiapo, Manila. Only after the visit did I realize the gem that San Sebastian is. I have since revisited the church several times, alone or with the groups I bring around the city of Manila.

San Sebastian serves as parish church for residents in Legarda, Recto and Quiapo

San Sebastián, which can be considered puny compared to Europe’s Gothic cathedrals, emanates an aura of chivalrous romance and medieval religiosity. It is, after all, one of the foremost neo-Gothic churches of the Philippines, complete with soaring pillars, spires, and arched ornaments. Light illuminates the church through colorful stained-glass windows that portray the Holy Rosary’s joyful and sorrowful mysteries while crystal chandeliers enhance the elegance of the interiors. Its webbed ceiling is captivating, the faithful seemingly being brought up to the heavens to meet the omnipotent God.

The worshipper in San Sebastián prays not only with his heart and mind but with all his senses. The sight of an illuminated main retablo, of fading paintings, as well as the smell of age, rust, and incense transport the visitor to an entirely different time.

San Sebastian's groined ceilings are typical of gothic structures

The story of San Sebastián began in 1621 when Don Bernardino Castillo, the pious devotee of the Christian martyr, donated the land on which the present minor basilica stands. Since Sampaloc was then a swampland, the area was a preferred site for building a convent for retiring and elderly Recollect friars for it was located away from the hustle and bustle of Binondo, the Parian, and Intramuros. However, due to a Chinese uprising in 1651, the nipa church was destroyed. Later structures were destroyed by fire and some earthquakes.

In the 1880s, Don Genaro Palacios proposed a design for a church resistant to earthquake and fire. Palacios was then the Director of Public Works of the colonial government. Simultaneously, he served as the church’s architect (a job that lasted a decade) producing the design, contacting European firms for the steel and other parts, coordinating between the Recollect superiors of Madrid and Manila, and supervising the production and quality of the steel parts as well as the construction of the church first in Belgium.

Said to have been inspired by the Gothic cathedral of Burgos, Spain, Palacios planned that the new church would be entirely built in steel. The documents related to the building of the church reveal that the steel parts were purchased from the lowest bidder, the Societe Anonyme des Enterprises de Travaux Publiques in Brussels, Belgium. The prefabricated steel church was first set up in Belgium. After confirming that all the parts fit together, the church was thereafter dismantled and shipped to Manila in nine steamships. The parts were then attached like Lego blocks under the supervision of Belgian engineers. To this very day, if one takes a look at the ceiling, one can still notice the faint markings that labelled each steel part. These labels served as guides for the construction team in attaching parts together. The steel walls and columns remain hollow. The stained glass windows were imported from the Dr. Henri Oidtmann Company, a German firm. Palacios wrote in his memoirs that the vivid colors and the intricacy of the drawings would surely be the toast of Manila’s society.

San Sebastian's rose window is a preserved historical artwork

On June 24, 1890, during the fiesta of Manila, Pope Leo XIII made the church a minor basilica. The following year, the Archbishop of Manila, Bernárdo Nozaleda, OP consecrated the minor basilica, which was, for the longest time, the seat of the devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Brown Scapular. The church blessing on August 15, 1891, the feast of the Assumption, was a social spectacle attended not only by the residents of Calle R. Hidalgo, once Manila’s millionaire’s row, but by “ten thousand people – without exaggeration” according to El Diario de Manila. It took two years to fasten the all-steel church’s walls, panels, ribs, ceilings and pillars with rivets.

The author with San Sebastian conservator Tina Paterno

Featuring groined vaults typical in Gothic structures, the church was painted to appear like it was made of marble and jasper. This can be credited to Lorenzo Rocha, head of the Academia de Dibujo, Pintura y Grabado, and his students—most notable among them Isabelo Tampingco and Félix Martinez who lavished the church interiors with exquisite trompe l’oeil. The retablos, pulpit, and other ornaments were designed by the celebrated artist Lorenzo Guerrero who mentored artists such as Júan Arellano and Júan Luna y Novicio. Marble holy water fonts made of Romblon marble are still extant, bearing the inscription “Romblon 1891.”

The facade of San Sebastian, Asia's only all-steel church

Above the main altar is an octagonal dome. Painted on its steel panels are images of holy men and women as well as angels. The image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel that sits proudly in the center of the main retablo was a gift from the Carmelite monjas or nuns from Mexico in 1617.

However, Paterno asks visitors not only to marvel at the church’s interiors but to also take a close, critical look at it. It is in the advanced stages of rusting and corrosion. The urgency of the matter has compelled the University of Pennsylvania graduate to leave New York, her home for ten years, and initiate the conservation project of San Sebastián. The Recollect friars had long been concerned about the fading trompe l’oeil.

The octagonal dome of San Sebastian is painted with figures of saints and angels

With the help of a team of volunteer architects, urban consultants, academicians, photographers, engineers, students, and concerned citizens, and with the support of firms, the Recollects formed the San Sebastián Basilica Conservation and Development Foundation, Inc. which spearheads the thorough and critical work of conserving the church. Paterno is currently the executive director of the foundation.

The group has discovered many alarming indications of building failure: countless leaks, water within columns, and columns that are starting to bend. The group is in constant need of help and support. In 2011, it received a grant from Ambassador’s Fund given by the United States Department of State through its embassy. The group has also greatly benefitted from researchers and experts from around the globe who have rendered their expertise for free solely out of great interest and concern for the UNESCO-declared National Historical Landmark.

A view of the nave from the coro

San Sebastian, to this day, is and should be the toast of Filipinos. Though it is inspired by a Western concept and constructed with foreign materials, it is still a church found on our shores, built for our spiritual and artistic benefit. This work of genius by the Spaniard Genaro Palacios is also one of the few churches in the country that has retained its original integrity because of minimal alteration. It is for us to preserve.

The fact that the structure is filled with works by different individuals with different cultural influences should compel us to help preserve San Sebastián. It is a tangible reminder of Manila’s once venerable position in Southeast Asia as an elegant cosmpolitan of magnificent structures and a genteel community that held in high regard foreign and local artists, craftsmen, and those who had good taste.

A view of the roof from the bell towers

The fabled church’s battle with corrosion and I dare say, neglect, will continue if we do not go beyond merely marvelling at its beauty or simply referring to it as an “all-steel church”. Age, deferred maintenance, and the many leaks all threaten the integrity of the structure. It’s about time Filipinos actively support the management of this cultural gem that was a product of a time when churches were actually temples showcasing superb artistic skills.

San Sebastian features some of the most exquisite stained glass windows in the country

It is a witness to the Filipino artistic spirit, and proof of Manila’s once-proud place in the world of art and architecture. Indeed, this work of Palacios should’ve placed us on the global map long ago. It is believed that San Sebastián is actually the only prefabricated church in the world, and the only all-steel church in Asia. San Sebastián was in fact a collaborative effort among different nationalities. The designer was a Spaniard while the foundations were laid out under a Frenchman’s supervision. The windows were from Germany while the steel was sourced from a Belgian firm. Efforts to preserve and promote it will surely benefit the community.

A steel gem, San Sebastián inspires not only piety, but also national pride.

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About our ICONtributor

Joaquín Carlos U. de Jesús or Quino to friends and colleagues is an advocate of Fil-Hispanic heritage, a freelance tour guide for Mania's San Miguel district and lifestyle writer for several magazines. He likes to write about Philippine culture, art and history as well as the Catholic Church. He is a member of the Heritage Conservation Society.

As recognition for his essay on José Rizal, the European Union sent Quino to Europe to retrace the significant places related to the life of the national hero. He also has a children's storybook published by a foundation for seafarers' families. 

He enjoys cooking, traveling and classical music. Quino is part of Customer Experience's Strategy and Touchpoints.