Location: Manila
Top Things to do in Manila
What to do and see in Manila, Luzon: The Best Architectural Buildings
Metropolitan Manila encompasses six cities and 12 towns. Located on Manila Bay in the South China Sea, and bisected by the Pasig River, the capital of the Philippines is historic and modern, rich and poor. A popular sight is the walled area called Intramuros. The capital during Spanish colonization, Intramuros has retained old dungeons and gunpowder rooms but added art galleries and theaters. The city is filled with museums, shops, parks and churches, plus enough nightlife to last until dawn.
Restaurants in Manila
1. Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene
2. Monastery of Saint Agustin
3. Saint Andrew's Cathedral
4. San Sebastian Church
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 142 reviews
Reviewed By falejan - Mandaluyong, Philippines
How can a Gothic church be made of steel? San Sebastian Church looks entirely modern from the outside - we even espied some rust in parts easily visible to the naked eye. And it's said that this church is the only all-steel church in Asia. But the rust bothered me - if there's some on the outside, there must be lots of it on the inside! We all know how insidious rust can be in terms of being destructive. Another interesting tidbit about this church is that it was designed by Gustave Eiffel, Yup of the famed Eiffel Tower! Maybe. But I can be sure that this church obviously had strong European influence aside from French design. First off, the Philippines did not have a steel industry in the 1880s. Europe did - and in fact all the steel used in building this church was imported from Belgium. Of course, our Spanish conquerors had a big hand in building this church since we did not succeed in driving them off until 1898. To represent Asia, the Chinese also had a lot to do with this church. Filipinos were trading with the Chinese since before the Spaniards came and lots of them stayed and became extremely wealthy Chinoys. Which begs the question why are they so quiet given recent events? Anyway, San Sebastian has a colored history. And since I'm big on history, I'm very much drawn to this church. From Mendiola Bridge, it's graceful steel spires peek and demand to be noticed amid buildings and rooftops. Inside the church is a wonder of cathedral design. Of course I expected the stained glass windows depicting Bible stories, the high ribbed vaulted ceilings, the medieval looking pulpit and architectural details, the paintings and sculptures. From cold steel to warm romantic Gothic - hope the rust is kept at bay so that generations more can enjoy the looks and history of this church.
