STURDY SAN SEBASTIAN - The Minor Basilica of San Sebastian, better known as San Sebastian Church or San Sebastian Basilica, is a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church in Manila, Philippines. It is the church of the parish of San Sebastian. Noted for its Gothic Revival architecture and completed in 1891, San Sebastian Church is the only steel building church in the Philippines that was designated as a National Historical Landmark in 1973 and as a National Cultural Treasure in 2011. San Sebastian Church is under the care of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, who also operate the San Sebastian College adjacent to the basilica. It is located at Plaza del Carmen, at the eastern end of Recto Avenue, in Quiapo, Manila. In 1621, Bernardino Castillo, a generous patron and a devotee of 3rd century Roman martyr Saint Sebastian, donated the land upon which the church stands. The original structure, made of wood, burned in 1651 during a Chinese Filipino uprising. Succeeding structures, which were built of brick, were destroyed by fire and earthquakes in 1859, 1863, and 1880. Spanish Architect Genaro Palacios was commissioned to build a church that will withstand the earthquakes and completed a design that fused Earthquake Baroque with the Neo-Gothic style. His final design was said to have been inspired by the famed Gothic Burgos Cathedral in Burgos, Spain. The first shipments of pre-fabricated steel sections arrived in 1888 and supervised by Belgian engineers, the first steel column was erected in 1890. The church was completed and consecrated on August 16, 1891. On May 16, 2006, San Sebastian Church was included by the National Historical Institute (now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) in the Philippines' Tentative List for possible designation as a World Heritage Site, on account of its architectural and historical heritage. As of 2017, the church is no longer included in the Tentative List. In recent years, San Sebastian Church has encountered threats to its structural integrity. The steel structure has been beset by rust and corrosion due to sea breezes from nearby Manila Bay. State funding was accorded to the church through the National Historical Institute which undertook restoration in 1982. The Recollect community has likewise expended funds for the church's maintenance and restoration. In 1998, it was placed on the biennial watchlist of the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Fund, though it was not retained in the subsequent watchlists. It has long been reputed that Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer behind the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty, was involved in the design and construction of San Sebastián, but this was never confirmed. However, it was confirmed later on that Eiffel was involved in designing and supplying the metal framework for San Ignacio Church in Intramuros not in San Sebastian.