National Cultural Treasure
Which site was the heritage designation of San Sebastian Church (Manila) from Aug 2011 to 2015?
San Sebastian Church ( Manila ) The Minor Basilica of San Sebastian ( Filipino : Basilika Menor ng San Sebastian ; Spanish : Basílica Menor de San Sebastián ) , better known as San Sebastian Church ( Filipino : Simbahan ng San Sebastian ) or San Sebastian Basilica , is a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church in Manila , Philippines . It is the church of the parish of San Sebastian . Completed in 1891 , San Sebastian Church is noted for its architecture . An example of the Gothic Revival architecture in the Philippines , it is the only steel building church in the Philippines . It was designated as a National Historical Landmark in 1973 and as a National Cultural Treasure in 2011 . San Sebastian Church is under the care of the Order of Augustinian Recollects , who also operate the San Sebastian College adjacent to the basilica . It is located at Plaza del Carmen , at the eastern end of Recto Avenue , in Quiapo , Manila . History . In 1621 , Bernardino Castillo , a generous patron and a devotee of the 3rd-century Roman martyr Saint Sebastian , donated the land upon which the church stands . The original structure , made of wood , burned in 1651 during a Chinese Filipino uprising . Succeeding structures , which were built of brick , were destroyed by fire and earthquakes in 1859 , 1863 , and 1880 . 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 . He completed a design that fused Earthquake Baroque with the Neo-Gothic style . His final design was said to have been inspired by the famed Gothic Burgos Cathedral in Burgos , Spain . Construction ( 1888–1891 ) . 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 Societe anonyme des Enterprises de Travaux Publiques in Brussels . In all , of prefabricated steel sections were transported in eight separate shipments from Belgium to the Philippines , the first shipment arriving in 1888 . 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 . The stained glass windows were imported from the Heinrich Oidtmann Company , a German stained glass firm , while local artisans assisted in applying the finishing touches . The church was raised to the status of a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII on June 24 , 1890 . Upon its completion the following year , on August 16 , 1891 , the Basílica Menor de San Sebastián was consecrated by Bernardino Nozaleda y Villa OP , the 25th Archbishop of Manila . According to Jesús Pastor Paloma , an Augustinian Recollect priest , the structure was also supposed to have a prefabricated retablo ( reredos ) altar , which was lost at sea when the ship carrying it from Belgium capsized in a storm . A wooden altar was made locally in its stead . Paloma also noted that the bottom part of the church was designed to resemble a ships hull , so that it would sway during an earthquake . Restoration ( 2011-present ) . Restoration works began in 2011 . Features . San Sebastian Church has two openwork towers and steel vaulting . From its floor , the basilicas nave rises to the dome , and to the tip of the twin spires . The faux finished interior of the church incorporates groined vaults in the Gothic architecture style permitting very ample illumination from lateral windows . The steel columns , walls and ceiling were painted by Lorenzo Rocha , Isabelo Tampingco and Félix Martínez to give the appearance of marble and jasper . Trompe-lœil paintings of saints and martyrs by Rocha were used to decorate the interiors of the church . True to the Gothic revival spirit of the church are its confessionals , pulpit , altars and five retablos designed by Lorenzo Guerrero and Rocha . The sculptor Eusebio Garcia carved the statues of holy men and women . Six holy water fonts were constructed for the church , each crafted from marble obtained from Romblon . Above the main altar is an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel , given to the church by Carmelite sisters from Mexico City in 1617 . The image withstood all the earthquakes and fires which had destroyed previous incarnations of San Sebastian Church , but its ivory head was stolen in 1975 . Cultural and historical declarations . San Sebastian Church was declared a National Historical Landmark by President Ferdinand Marcos through Presidential Decree No . 260 on August 1 , 1973 . Subsequently , the church was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines on August 15 , 2011 , with the unveiling of the marker on January 20 , 2012 . On May 16 , 2006 , San Sebastian Church was included by the National Historical Institute ( now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines ) in the Philippines Tentative List for possible designation as a World Heritage Site , on account of its architectural and historical heritage . the church is no longer included in the Tentative List . Preservation . In recent years , San Sebastian Church has encountered threats to its structural integrity . The steel structure has been beset by rust and corrosion due to sea breezes from nearby Manila Bay . State funding was accorded to the church through the National Historical Institute which undertook restoration in 1982 . The Recollect community has likewise expended funds for the churchs maintenance and restoration . In 1998 , it was placed on the biennial watchlist of the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Fund , though it was not retained in the subsequent watchlists . The church was listed again as one of the most endangered monuments in the world by World Monuments Fund in the 2010 World Monuments Watch , along with the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras and Santa Maria Church . All of the sites were taken off the list in 2011 after the passage of the National Cultural Heritage Act . UNESCO re-inclusion troubled . On October 1 , 2018 , it was revealed that a thirty one-storey residential highrise building of Summithome Realty Corporation is being planned to be constructed beside the historic San Sebastian Church , negatively affecting the sites possible re-inclusion in the UNESCO tentative list as the area around the church is integral to the site as a buffer zone . The site , the first and only all-steel church in Asia , used to be in the UNESCO tentative list but was removed in 2015 due to structural decay . To re-establish the sites integrity and re-inclusion in the tentative list , it underwent a massive restoration program , which conservationists have cited as a megalithic success . However , with the looming threat of the high-rise building , the sites inclusion in the UNESCO list is bleak . Summithome was able to acquire a barangay clearance supporting their application for a building permit from the barangay chairman , without the site managers being initially informed . Alleged involvement of Gustave Eiffel . It has long been reputed that Gustave Eiffel , the French engineer behind the Eiffel Tower and the steel structure within the Statue of Liberty , was involved in the design and construction of San Sebastián , but this was never confirmed . However , it was confirmed later on that Eiffel was involved in designing and supplying the metal framework for San Ignacio Church in Intramuros , thus confirming the contribution of Eiffel in Philippine church architecture , if not in San Sebastián Church .