“Young Man, Look Up!” -God

I bet the same eye tricks are employed in the facade of churches. Some parts of the facade of churches accentuate verticality, making people look up… to the heavens.

San Sebastian Church, Manila

San Sebastian and the Second Quiapo Church

Quiapo is really busy during January, in the 9th of the month the Nazareno is celebrated. Eleven Days later, the other Church in Quiapo celebrates its feast San Sebastian Church.

San Sebastian was a martyr during the persecution of Diocletian. When the authorities found out that he is a Christian, they had him tied to a tree and shot to death by arrows. He recovered with the help of Saint Irene, he came back to Diocletian and the emperor had him beaten to death. The San Sebastian Church in Quiapo is Established in 1621, making it older than the shrine of the Nazareno in Quiapo. The Shrine of the Black Nazarene, the Church of Saint John the Baptist was originally located in the Bagumbayan until the 1780’s when the town was demolished. The church used to stand in the lot now occupied by the Manila Planetarium.

The San Sebastian is the headquarters of the Recollects when their Intramuros Church was destroyed. The church is also an equal landmark, being the first and only Gothic and All-Steel Church in Asia. Sadly, parts of the church is rusting, owing to the marine environment of Manila and it’s age. The Church is also the National Shrine of Our Lady of Del Carmen.

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