Use of steel in architecture had been making waves since early nineteenth century for its durability and wear-resistance. One of the most famous steel structures is Paris’ Eiffel tower and in line with it is Philippines’ not-so-famous San Sebastian church. The only all steel basilica in Asia, or maybe in the world.

A wee bit of history

The piece of land in Legarda St. Quiapo, Manila where the Basilica Minore de San Sebastian or simply, San Sebstian church stands was donated by Don Bernardino Castillo in 1621. He was a generous patron and well-known devotee of Saint Sebastian thus, naming the church after the aforementioned saint.

Originally the church was not built of steel but of wood instead. However during a Chinese uprising in 1651, the church was burned down. It was rebuilt but was again destroyed by fire. Several reconstructions were done in 1859, 1863, and 1880 due to the church’s ruin caused by fire and earthquakes. The series of the church’s destruction led the then parish priest, Fr. Esteban Martinez to approach Spanish architect Genero Palacios to build a fire and earthquake-resistant church made of steel.

It was on June 12, 1888 when the first shipment of prefabricated steel parts from the Societe Anonyme des Enterprises de Travaux Publiques in Brussels came for the construction of the proposed all-steel church. Six ships carried the ordered steel parts from Belgium and was then put together like that of making a Lego™. Two Belgian engineers supervised the construction.

Local artists contributed to the beautification of the church by helping with the finishing touches and artworks. Filipino artist Lorenzo Rocha and his students painted the cross vaults in the ceilings and walls to make it look like it was made of marble and jasper. The holy statues that can be found in the church were carved by Eulogia Garcia. While the only pieces made of wood like the confessionals, the pulpit, and the altars were designed by Lorenzo Guererro. Although the stained glass was imported from a German firm called Henri Oidtmann

According to I.M. Pei, a Chinese-american who visited the country in the late 70’s, the metal works and structure were no less designed by renowned architect Gustave Eiffel. The person behind the Parisian trademark Eiffel tower. Ambeth Ocampo claims of founding proof that Eiffel’s steel manufacturing firm has contributed to the construction of the church. However, no assertions were made whether Eiffel directly designed the church but the idea used in the construction was definitely influenced by Eiffel.

The church was raised into the statues of a minor basilica on June 24, 1980 by Pope Leo XIII and was inaugurated on August 15, 1891.

Presidential Decree No. 260 has declared the church as a National Historic Landmark so state funding was accorded for the maintenance and restoration of the church through the National Historic Institute.

Also in 1998, the church was listed among the World’s Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Watch and just recently on May 16, 2006 it was included in the tentative list of the World Heritage site acknowledging its historical and architectural value.