The Basilica of Santo Niño or Basilica Minore del Santo Niño is the oldest recorded church in Cebu. The location of the church was the exact place where the image of Santo Niño was found miraculously intact and houses the most important patron in Cebu.
The church was located in the heart of downtown Cebu City. It houses the oldest relic of the country, the image of Santo Niño or the representation of Jesus as a black Holy Child. It is a center of prayer and pilgrimage of millions of followers every year.
The architectural style of the Basilica is a fusion of that of the Muslim, Romanesque and Neo-classicism and been described as a high degree of integration. The original stone texture and natural color of the façade was preserved, radiating simplicity and elegance.
The bell tower located at the opposite far end serves as a counterbalance to the convent. The rounded dome is much to the resemblance of Muslim’s mosque.
The center section of the church is the main attraction. The arched main entrance is balanced by rectangular corners in both sides. A double-edged triangular pediment crowns the façade.
Inside the Basilica is a museum that recounts the history of Roman Catholic faith in the country. Among the things that are displayed for public’s view are some antique objects, a century-old furniture, vestments of the priests, the worn-out clothes of Santo Niño and His toys (said to be presents to the child Jesus) and other religious relics, statues and artifacts.
History
When Legaspi made a follow-up expedition of that of Magellan’s 44 years after, the war broke out between Rajah Tupas’ men and the Spanish conquistadors. Legaspi fired the entire village. In one of the burnt huts, Juan Camus, Legaspi’s soldier found the image of the Child, though not burnt but blackened by it.
Because of that miraculous event, Legaspi ordered his men to build a place of worship and Fr. Andres de Urdaneta founded the convent of Sto. Niño de Cebu on April 28, 1565, the very day Legaspi-Urdaneta expedition arrived in the shores of Cebu.
On May 8, 1565, as Legaspi was planning to urbanized the place, he apportioned a lot for the place of the church and for the convent of San Agustin in the exact place where the image was found.
In 1566, Fr. Diego de Herrera first built a church in the site utilizing wood and nipa. However, it was destroyed by fire. Miraculously, the image of Santo Niño survived the devastation.
As Fr. Pedro Torres took the position, he began constructing the new church in 1605, again employing the resources: wood and nipa. The construction was brought to completion in 1626. But two years later, it was again burned to ashes.
In 1628, under Fr. Juan Medina’s command, a new church was erected, using stones and bricks. But the operation was terminated because the bricks were found out to be defective as it melts upon contact with air.
With the joint forces of Father Provincial Bergano, Governor-General Fernando Valdes, Bishop Manuel Antonio Decio y Ocampo, Juan de Albarran (prior of Sto. Niño), Fr. Antonio Lopez (prior of San Nicolas) and his people, the residents of Talisay and Fr. Francisco Aballe and his parishioners from Mactan began the foundation of today’s church in February 29, 1735.
The materials used in the construction of this new church were mainly stones, quarried from Capiz and Panay and transported to Cebu by army of bancas and the Molave woods are from the mountains of Talisay and Pitalo. Though seemingly impossible task, Fr. Albarran did not give up and the church was completed not later than 1739.
According to Vela, “The church has all the characteristics of a solid construction to withstand all the earthquakes”. And true enough, it is standing majestically up to this day. The windows, the church and the convent underwent restoration but the original features of the old structure are still preserved and treated with outmost respect.
The Papal Legate to the Philippines, Cardinal Hildebrando Antoniutti honored the church by bestowing the title of Basilica Minore. In 1965, during the fourth centenary of the Christianization of the Philippines, Pope Paul VI elevated the rank of the church into a Basilica Minore. The church and the image of Santo Niño were under the special custody of the Order of St. Augustine.
Apart from it, the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño was declared a National Shrine by President Ferdinand Marcos because of its historical significance.
