Description of the attraction
The Basilica of Santo Niño, located in the city of Cebu, the capital of the island of the same name, is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the Philippines. Construction of the church began in 1565 under the leadership of the Augustinian monk Andres de Urdaneta. According to legend, the site for the construction of the basilica was not chosen by chance - it was here, in the center of present-day Cebu, that the Spaniards in 1565 found the image of the Infant Jesus, brought to the island by Fernand Magellan several decades earlier.
The first basilica was built of clay and wood. In 1735, the governor of the province of Cebu, Fernando Valdes Tamon, ordered the construction of a new building on this site, this time of stone. The construction was completed in 1739. The architectural feature of the church is the organic combination of three styles - Muslim, Romanesque and neoclassical. Two centuries later, in 1965, during the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Christianization of the Philippines, Pope Paul VI granted the church the status of a “minor basilica”. Until now, the Basilica of Santo Niño is in the possession of the Order of St. Augustine.
Inside the basilica, there is a small museum dedicated to the history of the Christianization of the island of Cebu. Here you can see antiques, including antique furniture, priests' robes, figurines and other things. An interesting part of the museum's collection are the numerous toys presented as a gift to the Baby Jesus.
Today, not only numerous believers, but also tourists come to visit the Basilica of Santo Niño. In order to accommodate all visitors, a so-called "pilgrim center" was built on the territory of the churchyard.
