Consecration of the San Sebastian Church in Manila (16/8/1891)
Photo: Chester Ong/SSBCDFI
The San Sebastian Church is a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church in Manila, Philippines. An example of the Gothic Revival architecture in the Philippines, it is the only church in the Philippines build with a steel framework. It was designated as a National Historical Landmark in 1973 and as a National Cultural Treasure in 2011.
photo source unknown
In the 1880s, Esteban Martínez, the parish priest of the ruined church, approached Spanish Architect Genaro Palacios to build a church that will withstand the earthquakes. Palacios planned to build a fire and earthquake-resistant structure made entirely of steel.
Construction (1888–1891)
photo: factoidz wikimedia
The prefabricated steel sections that would compose the church were manufactured in Binche, Belgium. According to historian Ambeth Ocampo, the knockdown steel parts were ordered from the S.A. des Entreprises de Travaux Publics in Brussels. In all, 1.527 tons of prefabricated steel sections were transported in eight separate shipments from Belgium to the Philippines, the first shipment arriving in 1888. A ninth shipment of altarpieces from Belgium never arrived, because the ship ran into a storm and lost its cargo.
photo source unknown
New wooden altars were then made in the Philippines to replace the lost Belgian altars. Belgian engineers supervised the assembly of the church, the first column of which was erected on September 11, 1890. The walls were filled with mixed sand, gravel, and cement. Upon its completion, on August 16, 1891, the Basílica Menor de San Sebastián was consecrated by the Archbishop of Manila.
photo: Marksy
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Bruno Dursin – Managing Director at Believe in Steel. Bruno has more than 30 years of experience in promoting steel & steel solutions. His clients benefit from his extensive network within the building industry.
