Hearts for San Sebastian Church

By MA. GLAIZA LEE

April 2, 2011, 4:29am

The long aisle of San Sebastian (photo by PINGGOT ZULUETA)

"Is this really where you want to get married? Is this the church?” expressed the groom to his bride-to-be, as he watched the Basilica Minore de San Sebastián slowly come into view at the eastern end of Claro M. Recto Street in Quaipo, Manila.

As they were entering the church complex in Plaza del Carmen, the bride to be replied: “Yes, this is the church we’re looking for. I want a church that is replete with history. This is exactly how I envisioned it. If it has a long aisle, it will be just an added bonus.”

The groom then tried to take in the neo-gothic architecture of the church, its twin open-work towers, and its light green exterior. Some people think it is just another place of worship. While it is near the prestigious San Sebastian College, the church’s location is probably its biggest drawback.

Situated in a place where ramshackle dormitories and not-so-hidden stalls selling fake diplomas are thriving, characterized with dark alleys where not-so-good elements lurk, it would definitely be challenging to summon the artistic muse and appreciate this architectural gem.

“This one is unique. It is made of steel,” insisted the bride-to-be.

“Of course, some parts of it are made of steel,” the groom replied, but when he saw his bride-to-be shaking her head, he asked: “How much of it is steel?”

“All of it!” exclaimed the bride-to-be, as she walked up the steps leading to the church’s main entrance. The wooden door was painted light green, with white hue on its neo-Gothic lines. The pastel exterior finish gives a bright and clean look to the church.

As the Church doors opened, visitors would be awed by the sheer magnificence and vastness of the church interior.  Columns made of steel were lined up leading to the main altar. Chandeliers with dramatic dim-lighted luminosity light up the entire church.

The long aisle leads to a main altar which was designed by artist Lorenzo Guerrero. At the center of the altar is the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, given to the Carmelite sisters from Mexico in 1617.

On the left side is the statue of Saint Simon Stock, whose brown scapular was the inspiration behind the “Our Lady of Mt. Carmel” title of the Blessed Virgin Mary; while on the right side is St. Theresa. The topmost part of the altar carries St. Sebastian.

The church has six water fonts; each crafted using marbles from Romblon.

“Here,” said the bride-to-be, handing several magnets she fished out from her bag to her groom. “Slap them into the various parts of the church. The columns, walls, and ceiling were just painted by Filipino artist Lorezon Rocha and his students, which included renowned sculptor Isabelo Tampinco and artist Felix Martinez, to resemble marble and jasper.”

The groom did as he was told. He went near one of the columns and slapped the magnets. As expected, the magnets affixed themselves in the steel columns.

“Why did they paint them?” asked the curious groom.

“During that time, masonry stones and adobe were considered the elegant and sophisticated materials but they were quite expensive. The Augustinian recollects who administered the church could no longer afford the stones for the reconstruction because they had run out of money after rebuilding the church year after year,” shared the bride-to-be.

The first church was built in 1621 on the land donated by Don Bernardino Castillo, a devotee of the Christian martyr Saint Sebastian. The church was quite small and made of wood. In 1651, it was lost to an earthquake.

The recollects built another church. This time, they used brick stones to build a much bigger church between 1800s and 1850s. But again, another earthquake hit Manila and destroyed the church in 1859. Again, they began another construction of a church in 1880, and for the nth time, it fell down due to another earthquake in 1880.

The tedious cycle of construction, destruction, and rebuilding had taken its toll on the psyche of the recollects, not to mention the coffers of the church.

While the cost of rebuilding the church and the constant worry in the possibility of being destroyed yet again by another earthquake dampened their spirits, it also challenged them to build an earthquake-proof church. So, they approached Spanish architect Genero Palacios.

Palacios, who was the then-chief engineer of public works of Spain to the Philippines, proposed using steel to build the church because it was cheap, lightweight, and termite-proof.  He combined Earthquake Baroque with neo-gothic style in the design.

After two years, in 1883, he finished the blueprint. Soon, the bidding began. Five engineering firms joined the bid, but they weren’t able to achieve the feasible budget; the church had allotted only P120,000 for the construction. After three years, in 1886, they found the suitable firm, a Belgian construction company.

“But with that budget, would they be able to finish the church?” asked the groom. “Certainly,” said the bride-to-be. “Actually, the budget was reduced to P92,000 because they had to use some for other miscellaneous.”

The Societe Anonyme des Enterprises de Travaux Publiques manufactured the various parts of the church in Brussels, Belgium. Using an estimated 1,500 tons of steels, the parts were casted in the foundry and shipped to the Philippines, aboard nine steamships.

The first shipment arrived on June 12, 1888. As the shipment arrived one after another, local artists and craftsmen and the Belgian firm engineers worked together to assemble the various parts of the church for two years. And in 1891, the San Sebastian Church, probably the first prefabricated steel church in the world, was inaugurated.

“See those colorful stained windows? They were also imported from a well-known German stained glass company, the Henri Oidtmann Company,” shared the bride-to-be.

Pointing to the ceiling, on the arc just above the altar, and the walls, she continued: “Those were trompe l’oeil paintings, retablos, and santos. They were painted using a technique that involves exceptionally realistic imagery to create an optical illusion. If the painted images are still clear, they would seem to appear tri-dimensional.”

The choral loft, located above the main entrance, also features a wall painting of purgatory. One needs to get near it to truly appreciate the different purgatory scenes since the painting was already fading. On one side of the loft is the 1919 German pipe organ.

As the bride-to-be led her groom to the wooden pew, so they could say a little prayer, the groom kept panning around, nodding his head each time he changed direction. This time, he saw the church in a different light. He looked at his future wife and said: “Yes, this is our church.”

When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.

Presently, the Apsara Author

For those interested to tour San Sebastian Church,  emailjoel.aldor@illuminatitours.com or log on to www.illuminatitours.com.