St. Sebastian Basilica (Diriamba)
The Basilica of St. Sebastian ( Spanish Basílica menor de San Sebastián ) is a Roman Catholic church in Diriamba , Nicaragua . The church with the title of a minor basilica belongs to the Archdiocese of Managua and is dedicated to the martyr Sebastian .
history
In place of various previous churches made of wood and straw, the construction of the church began with the laying of the foundation stone on December 27, 1891. The work began under the responsibility of the Italian architect Mario Favilli, commissioned by priest Thomas R. Altamirano. It took 48 years to build and required more than 9,000 bricks .
On October 28, 1964, Pope Paul VI. after efforts of the Archbishop of Managua, Vicente Alejandro González y Róbleto, the parish church of Diriamba to the rank of a minor basilica .
Building
The building was built in colonial style. A dome as a crossing tower and two towers above the entrance area rise above the three-aisled church, one of which has four bells. Biblical scenes are depicted in the vault of the dome and on both sides of the walls of the main nave. These paintings were created in 1958 by the Austrian Juan Fuchs Holl. The paintings include the Martyrdom of St. Sebastian. Two frescoes by Rodrigo Peñalba were uncovered in the church in the 2000s. These frescoes are about four meters long and 3.7 meters wide.
Sculptures of the four evangelists are depicted on the carved wooden pulpit. The ornate main altar of the basilica was made of marble.
The image of St. Sebastian
Inside the basilica there is an icon of Sebastian found in the waters of the Pacific in the tenth century. Every year on January 20th, Diriamba celebrates the San Sebastian Festival. The celebration begins with the traditional novena and ends with a procession through the streets of the city.
Web links
- Basílica Menor de San Sebastián on diriamba.info (span.)
Individual evidence
- ^ Basílica San Sebastián on gcatholic.org
Coordinates: 11 ° 51 ′ 25 ″ N , 86 ° 14 ′ 25 ″ W.