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All the Philippines Manila San Sebastian Church
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San Sebastian Church

A church made of steel.

Manila, Philippines

Added By
Jon Opol
San Sebastian Church   Jon Opol (Atlas Obscura User)
Church interiors   Jon Opol (Atlas Obscura User)
Unpainted steel doors showing its age   Jon Opol (Atlas Obscura User)
San Sebastian Church  
San Sebastian Church   Jon Opol (Atlas Obscura User)
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About

In the middle of the city of Manila, a soaring church with a green-painted gothic twin spire dominates the skyline. What is not obvious from afar is that this church is made of steel, in fact, the steel building is the San Sebastian Basilica, a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church in Manila.

Completed in 1891, the church was built with the intentions to withstand fire, which has been an issue in this dense part of the city. It was also designed to withstand earthquakes. The design is a fusion of baroque and neo-gothic inspired from the Burgos Cathedral in Spain. The church was listed as one of the most endangered monuments in the world by the World Monuments Fund in the 2010 World Monuments Watch

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Know Before You Go

Located a few minutes walk from Legarda Station of the LRT 2 (light rail) and a few blocks away from Carriedo station in Quiapo of LRT1 (light train).

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Added By

Jon Opol

Edited By

icatsstaci

Published

August 31, 2022

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