San Sebastian Basilica to hold off-the-beaten path tours for Visita Iglesia on Maundy Thursday
A TRADITION during the celebration of Holy Week is Visita Iglesia — visiting at least seven churches on the evening of Holy Thursday to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in each church.
To inject some art and culture into one’s Visita Iglesia itinerary, one can make the San Sebastian Basilica a stop on Maundy Thursday which falls on April 13 this year.
The San Sebastian Basilica Conservation and Development Foundation, the organization which is spearheading a 10-year restoration of the church, will host a whole day program of paid tours and free outdoor talks for everyone who wants to discover the basilica beyond its alleged Eiffel connection.
There will be two paid tours that day — at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. — with a member of the restoration team serving as a guide who will bring the guests away from the crowd to explore the private spaces of the basilica, discussing the 125-year history of the country’s oldest basilica and the first national shrine for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
San Sebastian continues to house the nearly 400-year- old image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, which first arrived on Philippine shores aboard a Spanish galleon with the Order of Augustinian Recollect friars.
For P120 per head, the tourgoers will see the basilica in a new light by learning about the original 19th century interiors — from the original wall and ceiling paintings, faux stone finishes, and stained glass windows — of the Philippines’ first and only allmetal building.
Meanwhile, from 1 p. m., the foundation will host free 10-minute talks just outside the main doors of the basilica. A historian will discuss the beauty and the deterioration of San Sebastian Basilica, explaining the art inside the famous Belgian steel structure which includes about 140 figural paintings of saints, angels, and other religious figures that are spread throughout the walls, dome, and windows. A declared National Historical Landmark and National Cultural treasure, a visit to San Sebastian will give you a glimpse of the 1891 art district of Quiapo.
“Just as Visita Iglesia is an expression of our devotion, our penitence and our faith, so too is the Minor Basilica of St. Sebastian,” said Fr. Antonio Zabala, Jr., OSA, San Sebastian’s parish priest, in a statement. “We once again rally the faithful to help us in its restoration project so that we can truly affirm the strength of our faith,” said Mr. Zabala.
A suggested route for the Visita Iglesia starts with the twin churches of Our Lady of Loreto and Saint Anthony, on J. Figueras St. (old Bustillos), then the Our Lady of Montserrat chapel at San Beda on Mendiola St., then Saint Jude Church and San Miguel Church along J.P. Laurel Sr. St., in Malacañang, then Quiapo Church, and finally, San Sebastian church on Plaza del Carmen, R. Hidalgo Street, Quiapo, Manila., as the seventh and final church.
All proceeds from tours, including those on April 13, will go directly to the restoration fund. San Sebastian Basilica is located along Plaza Del Carmen, Bilibid Viejo St., Quiapo, Manila City. To register for a paid tour or for more information, e-mail savesansebastian.org@gmail.com, call 708-5122, or visit facebook.com/ savessbasilica.