Architecture of the Parish

Architecture of the Parish

Summary:
Although the church of San Sebastián no longer preserves its original architecture nor many of the artistic treasures it once housed, it retains others that are well worth a visit.

The Exterior of the Church

On Atocha Street is one of the church's façades, which was originally in the Churrigueresque style but was destroyed in the 18th century to suit the tastes of the time. It consists of a large semicircular arch that leads to the atrium, with access to the Chapel of Bethlehem on one side and a bas-relief marking the restoration of the space in 2010. Despite being the main entrance, the façade is quite simple, its only decoration being the ornamentation of the pediment, featuring a fresco of the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian by Ricardo Sanjuán, a hyperrealist painter of growing success and remarkable sensitivity. The ensemble is closed off by a modern wrought-iron gate.

The other entrance to the interior is located on San Sebastián Street, which was originally the main access to the church and is therefore much more architecturally interesting. It was built with reused materials from the old façade on Atocha Street. Neoclassical in style, it consists of two Ionic columns framing the upper niche and supporting the pediment. At its center is a modern sculpture of Saint Sebastian by Antonio Martín Méndez, as the original by Luis Salvador Carmona was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War.

Regarding the exterior architecture, San Sebastián features a complex volumetry crowned by a central dome of classicist appearance, clearly influenced by postwar styles.

The Interior of the Church

Inside the church, the simplicity of its centralized nave stands out, culminating in a large dome. In its pendentives are housed the works of Antonio de la Cruz Collado, a sculptural representation of the four evangelists with tetramorphs. The dome is formed by interlacing ribs inspired by Arab architectural models and topped by a lantern resting on lunettes that allow natural light to enter.

Main Altar

From the main entrance, one can see the main altar, created during the church’s postwar reconstruction by the Talleres Granda, a workshop entrusted with the rebuilding of most of the churches destroyed during this period. At the center of the altarpiece is a large niche containing a sculpture of Saint Sebastian, also by Cruz Collado. The piece is a replica of the one created by Alonso Berruguete for the convent of San Benito in Valladolid. The altar front is completed with a Calvary sculpted by the Sevillian artist Luis Ortega Bru. The crucified Christ resembles the "Cristo de la Salud y Caridad" from the Chapel of Montesión in Seville. A unique detail is the seated position of the Virgin Mary and Saint John. In the background is a contemporary stained glass window depicting the Holy Spirit.

Below the altar is a stone altar with a tabernacle made by bronzesmith Pedro José de Villalba, following the design of Íñiguez Almech. The tabernacle, built with Siena marble, features a set of apostles on its doors, reminiscent of a piece made by El Greco for the Cathedral of Toledo. Currently, above the tabernacle hangs the painting “Virgin and Child” by the Italian painter Giovanni Battista Salvi, known as Sassoferrato.

Main Chapel

At the foot of this altar is the main chapel, notable for the paintings that adorn it. Starting from the sacristy entrance, we find the “Immaculate Conception” by Matías Ximeno and the “Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian” by Dionisio Mantuano, both from the 17th century. On the opposite side is a “Holy Guardian Angel” dated around 1890, of unknown authorship. Also present is the “Preparation for the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian,” a superb 17th-century canvas by Neapolitan painter Luca Giordano.

Just below the main chapel are two large side chapels with pseudo-Solomonic columns, housing the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, created by Víctor González Gil, and the statue of Saint Joseph, a work reminiscent of the one in the Church of San Ginés by José Luis Vicens.

Crossing of the Nave

At the center of the crossing shines a copy of the “Immaculate Conception” by Tiepolo, whose original is in the Prado Museum, painted by María Fuencisla Llorente.

On the opposite side of the nave is the chapel of Saint Maravillas of Jesus, featuring a full-body portrait which, like the one in the atrium, is by Ricardo Sanjuán. The image of the saint, who was baptized in the church in 1891, safeguards a small relic.

Former Main Altar

Above the former main altar is the former Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, now containing a depiction of the “Divine Mercy” based on the vision of Saint Faustina Kowalska. After the saint’s revelation in 1931, she asked Eugeniusz Kazimirowski to paint an image of Christ the Merciful. In 2019, Ricardo Sanjuán created an exact replica for this space, following Kazimirowski’s original.

Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy

To the west of this altar is the Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy, whose confraternity funded in 1942 the sculpture currently on display. The Virgin, also the work of sculptor González Gil, is a dressed statue that imitates the original destroyed during the Civil War, of which the ancient garments have been preserved. On either side of the chapel are the canvases “Presentation of Jesus in the Temple” and “Circumcision of Christ in the Temple,” both by Luca Giordano.

Chapel of the Architects of Our Lady of Bethlehem

On the east side is one of the most significant spaces in the church, the Chapel of the Royal Congregation of Architects of Our Lady of Bethlehem in Her Flight to Egypt. This chapel was originally built by master Francisco Moreno in 1693 and later remodeled between 1766 and 1768 by Ventura Rodríguez. Designed in the shape of a Greek cross, it stands out for the decoration of its dome with coffers and cherub heads resting on the pendentives. At the head of the chapel is a mural of the Flight to Egypt by Joaquín Vaquero Palacios. Buried in this chapel are the architects Ventura Rodríguez and Juan de Villanueva.