San Sebastian Basilica - Philippines
SAVING SAN SEBASTIAN: From points to alignments and movements Location The current church was completed in 1891. But originally was built in the 17th century, made of wood and burned down. Succeeding structures were built of brick, but also destroyed by fire and earthquakes. In the 19th century, Manila suffer 3 earthquakes, the last one in 1880 destroyed many buildings in the city. As this one: the cathedral of Manila in Intramuros. For these reasons, the priests hire the Spanish Arquitect Genaro Palacios, to create a structure that would not fall victim to these kind of disasters Palacios worked with the help of Belgian contractors to create a design of an all steel neo-gothic style church that was both, fire and earthquake resistant. Parts were manufactured in Belgium, the glass windows were imported from Germany and the finish paintings were made by local artists. The 52 tons of prefabricate steel were transported in 8 shipments, from Belgium to Philippines. The 1st one ...