The Basilica Minore de San Sebastian (San Sebastian Church) is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Manila. It is the seat of the Parish of San Sebastian and the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. The Church of San Sebastian was raised to the status of a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII on June 24, 1890.
San Sebastian Church Postcard 1
Completed in 1891, San Sebastian Church has been recognized by the UNESCO as the only all-steel church or basilica in Asia. It has also been implausibly reputed to be the first prefabricated building in the world, and more plausibly claimed as the only prefabricated steel church in the world. In 2006, San Sebastian Church was included in the Tentative List for possible designation as a World Heritage Site.
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The prefabricated steel sections that would compose San Sebastian Church were manufactured in Binche, Belgium. In all, 52 tons of prefabricated steel sections were transported in eight separate shipments from Belgium to the Philippines. The walls were filled with mixed sand, gravel and cement.
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The connection between Gustave Eiffel (the French engineer behind the Eiffel Tower) and San Sebastian Church was reportedly confirmed by historian Ambeth Ocampo while doing research in Paris. Ocampo likewise published a report that in the 1970s, the famed architect I. M. Pei had visited Manila to confirm reports he had heard that Eiffel had designed an all-steel church in Asia. When Pei inspected San Sebastian Church, he reportedly pronounced that the metal fixtures and overall structure were indeed designed by Eiffel.
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San Sebastian Church has two openwork towers and steel vaulting. The basilica's central nave is twelve meters from the floor to the dome, and thirty-two meters to the tip of the spires. The interior of the church displays groined vaults in the Gothic architecture style. The steel columns, walls and ceiling were painted by Filipino artist Lorenzo Rocha and his students to give off a faux-marble and jasper appearance.
SOURCE:
Basilica of San Sebastian, Manila Wikipedia Entry
The Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral) was the seat of the Archbishop of Manila during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, and still remains the ecclesiastical seat of the Archdiocese of Manila.
Manila Cathedral Postcard 1
Fernando Ocampo came up with a new and modern cathedral with an appearance similar to its predecessor but with a more functional use of space. Ocampo’s cathedral was made more spatially and visually interesting by its striking Neo-Romanesque façade, Byzantine motifs, bronze doors, pineapple finials, and many other artistic ornamentations.
Manila Cathedral Postcard 2
The Manila Cathedral covers an area of almost 3,000 square meters. The present structure has a Latin-cross plan which closely follows the distribution of spaces of the previous cathedral—aisles are separated from the nave by arcaded colonnades, and several chapels flank the nave.
Manila Cathedral Postcard 3
Chapels are paved by highly polished Carrara marble prefabricated in Italy. The main altar, which has a two-meter high statue of the Immaculate Conception, is featured with lovely columns built out of green Carrara marble.
Manila Cathedral Postcard 4
Paving the rest of the cathedral floor are cream slabs of marble. Marble also found its way in the altars of the side chapels where reliefs and mosaic panels add further decorative accents. Likewise, the pulpit and the Episcopal throne are made out of Italian marble.
Manila Cathedral Postcard 5
Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church) is a Roman Catholic church located in Quiapo, Manila. It is home to the Black Nazarene, a much venerated statue of Jesus Christ which many people believe has miraculous attributes; because of this the church is sometimes referred to as the "Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene".
Quiapo Church Postcard 1
The foundations of the church was built in 1582 and survived the devastation of World War II despite surrounding buildings being completely destroyed. The church was painted cream after the original Mexican Baroque edifice was burned down in 1928.
Quiapo Church Postcard 2
Brought to the country by the Recollect Friars in the early 1600s, the Señor, the endearing name for the Black Nazarene, finally found permanent residence at the Quiapo Church, relegating its patron saint, St. John de Baptist to a permanent status of obscurity and lessened reverence.
Quiapo Church Postcard 3
Black Nazarene is a 400-year-old, darkened, wooden life-size image of Christ, clad in a maroon robe and semi-kneeling from carrying a large wooden cross. This image sits high above the altar.
Quiapo Church Postcard 4
On Fridays thousands of Catholic devotees may be seen inside the church edging forward on their knees towards the crucifix. The image is said to have special powers to grant favors and miracles to its devotees.
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The Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré is a basilica set along the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. The basilica is known for performing many miracles. The front entrance wall is said to be covered in crutches. The basilica in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré was initially a shrine to honour Saint Anne. It was built for two reasons: to provide a place of worship for the new settlers in the area and to house a marvelous statue of St. Anne.
Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré Postcard
Because of the popularity of the shrine, the Catholic Church had to enlarge the building several times to accommodate all the pilgrims. In 1876, the first basilica opened for worship. The dimensions of the basilica, including the side chapels, were 158 × 77 m. The first basilica was destroyed in a fire on March 29, 1922. The present-day basilica was built on the site of the prior church in 1926.
SOURCE:
Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre Wikipedia Entry
The Curitiba Minor Basilica Cathedral of Our Lady of Light (Curitiba Catedral Basílica Menor de Nossa Senhora da Luz) was inaugurated in 1893, built in the neo-Gothic style and inspired by Barcelona Cathedral. The cathedral is known as the birthplace of Curitiba City.
Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of Light Postcard(PH Wish from Suzanne Stadler)
With its interesting history it holds a strong Brazilian influence within its structure. Stained-glass windows in the church were donated by local families and furniture is made of Brazilian walnut. "Our Lady of Light" was the original image inside the Cathedral and came from Portugal in 1720. "Our Lady of Light" is now kept in the Paraná Museum.
SOURCE:
Curitiba City, State of Parana, Brazil
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