CHURCH OF SAN SEBASTIÁN

The college's new temple was built by Alberto de Churriguera between 1730 and 1739. As a remembrance of the old medieval parish, it retained its name and the dual character of college chapel and parish, with a door open to the street for parishioners. Churriguera also designed the altarpiece, now installed in the parish of San Martín, while its original tabernacle and steps were relocated to the high altar of the New Cathedral. With the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, the church of San Sebastián suffered significant damage that is still visible in its structure.

The church of San Sebastián remained open for worship until 1840. Later, when the college became the seat of the Civil Government, the chapel was used as an archive and tobacco warehouse. In 1853, the Baroque bell gable collapsed, being replaced by the triangular pediment that remains on the façade today. In the late 19th century, the Bishop of Salamanca, Father Cámara, managed to have the temple rehabilitated as a parish and began its restoration. The temple became a parish dependent on the Cathedral in 1909. Throughout the 21st century, it has been subject to several interventions. In one of them, the original marble flooring designed by Alberto de Churriguera, which had been hidden under a wooden floor, was restored. In the last restoration, the magnificent side portal, which had been walled up, was brought to light. In the niche located above the portal is the image of San Juan de Sahagún, patron saint of Salamanca, who was a student and chaplain of the college.

The Church of San Sebastián stands attached to the eastern flank of the historic Colegio Mayor de Anaya, in symmetry with the old college guesthouse, both forming part of the same architectural complex. This elegant Baroque temple was erected by Alberto de Churriguera between 1730 and 1744. Of compact dimensions but great harmony, it features a Latin cross plan, a straight chancel, and a striking octagonal dome crowned by a lantern.

The main facade, facing south, displays a carefully ordered vertical composition: door, niche, window, and pediment align on the same axis, creating an effect of balance and elegance. The main entrance is dedicated to San Sebastián, while the side entrance —on the Epistle side— honors San Juan de Sahagún, a key figure in the city's history and a former student of San Bartolomé. Both entrances stand out for their rich Baroque ornamentation, with niches housing sculptures of the saints created by José de Larra, brother-in-law of the Churriguera family.

The interior surprises with its spatial unity: a single nave leads the visitor to a wide transept covered by a dome resting on an octagonal drum. In the pendentives, carved in stone, appear the founder's coats of arms supported by delicate cherubs. The barrel vaults with lunettes, built of brick, are covered with exuberant plasterwork and stucco decoration.

In the transept arms, two twin doorways open with broken pediments and cherub head decoration, although only the one on the Epistle side is functional, providing access to the sacristy; the opposite one serves a purely aesthetic function to reinforce symmetry. At the foot of the temple, a small exedra houses the baptismal font, while a lateral arch leads to a spiral staircase that ascends to the choir and bell tower.

The current main altarpiece, dated 1903, replaced the original, now dispersed between the New Cathedral of Salamanca and the parish of San Martín Church. Highlighting Sebastián Conca's canvas, Saint Sebastian Healed by Irene and Lucinia, which returned to the temple after its time at the Salamanca Museum after the Disentailment*. The ensemble is completed by two notable paintings attributed to Pedro de Orrente: *The Adoration of the Shepherds and The Epiphany.

Additionally, the church preserves various works from the disappeared parishes of San Bartolomé de los Apóstoles and San Isidoro, as well as pieces belonging to the Brotherhood of Jesús Despojado, which today has its canonical seat here.