San Sebastian Church, Minor Catholic basilica in Quiapo, Philippines.
San Sebastian is a minor Catholic basilica in Quiapo, a district of Manila in the Philippines, constructed in the Gothic Revival style. The columns and ceiling elements are made of prefabricated steel onto which artists have painted marble and jasper patterns, making the interior appear as though carved from solid stone.
The first wooden churches on this site burned or collapsed from earthquakes several times between 1621 and 1880, leading planners to choose a fireproof metal construction. Belgian workshops manufactured the steel parts in 1890, which were shipped to Manila and assembled the following year.
The name refers to the patron saint Sebastian, a Roman martyr whom the Quiapo community has honored since the 17th century. On weekdays believers kneel between the iron columns for silent prayer, while on Saturdays wedding parties in formal dress wait on the steps outside the church for their entrance.
The basilica can be reached on foot from the eastern end of Recto Avenue, where several city bus lines and jeepneys stop. Mornings between Monday and Friday tend to be quieter inside than weekends, when families and wedding groups arrive.
Every load-bearing part of the church was imported from Belgium and simply assembled on site, making it the only entirely metallic church in the country. No other religious building in the Philippines uses this material in a comparable way for columns, walls, and vaulted structures.
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