This church like that of San Luis conserved for years the rights of asylum for those escaping official persecution.

During the Spanish Civil War, the church was sacked by Republican forces, before it ended up being almost destroyed during a bombing raid by the Nationalists around November 20, 1936.

The archives of the church over the centuries have kept biographical data on numerous figures of renown, including: The cemetery, at the union of Huertas and San Sebastian streets, has disappeared and is now replaced by a flower shop.

It also was the site of the ghoulish incident after the burial of actress María Ignacia Ibáñez, when her lover, the writer José Cadalso, lovelorn, attempted to dig up her body.

Media related to Church of San Sebastián, Madrid at Wikimedia Commons