Basilica del Santo Niño

Known as Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, the Santo Niño church under the Augustinian Order is one of first established church in the Philippines.

It was originally erected first by the Augustinian Fathers under Rev. Fr. Andres Urdaneta in 1565.
Designed by Fr. Diego de Herera,  the church was built together with a convent made of nipa and wood.
 
A year later on the first day of the month of November , both the original church and convent was burned.
The second church was designed and built by Fr. Pedro Torres also built of light materials also burned in 1628 on the month of March but was rebuilt under the administration of the historian Rev. Juan de Medina.

A portrait of the Basilica del Santo Niño in the 1700's.

The present and massive church was designed and constructed during the Priorship of Rev. Juan Albarro in February 29, 1735 and was finished in the year 1739. It was in 1740 where the Father Provincial of the Augustinians installed the image of the child Jesus, called  "Sr. Santo Niño de  Cebu".

The wooden Santo Niño image on the church was found during the expedition of  Miguel Lopez de Legaspi by one of his soldiers  named Juan Camus inside a box. According to Fr. Andres de Urdaneta, the first Superior of the Augustinians in the Philippines, the 11-inch wooden image wearing a red velvet vestment was similar to those made in Flanders, Belgium in the 16th century.

Inside the Basilica del Santo Niño church

According  to Fr. Andres de Urdaneta, 11-inch long wooden image of the child jesus looked the same
with the  original image of the that was given by Ferdinand Magellan on the 1500's to the wife of one of the chieftains of Limasawa, Rajah Humabon's wife with a Christian name Juana.
This was a token of friendship of Magellan to the natives as an appreciation when they convert to Christianity and honor the King Charles, the king of Spain on that time.

On queue to touch the image of the Sto. Niño

Today, the church has also a museum which is already open to public. It was first established in the year 1965 by Fr. Ambrosio J. Galindez mainly for the purpose of the commemoration of the Fourth Centennial celebration of Christianization of the Philippines. It was once located in the basement of the pilgrim center which was completed in 1995. Due to the increasing number of visitors and devotees, and collections as well, it was moved in a spacious area outside the Basilica.

Its main objective is to make people aware of the origin, circumstances and events related to the formal Christianization of the Philippines through the image of the Santo Niño.

The open chapel of the Basilica del Santo Niño.

Enjoy Cebu better and have your visit  be complete together with local and foreign tourist by visiting the cradle of Christianization in Asia in the Basilica Minor del Santo Niño.