Basilica Minore del Santo Niño

Basilica Minore del Santo Niño

Introduction The Basilica Minore del Santo Niño was built in 1565 and is home to the world-famous Santo Niño (Child Jesus) statue. It is said that after the native chieftain Rajah Humabon and his wife Queen Juana were baptized, Ferdinand Magellan gave a black-skinned Santo Niño statue to Queen Juana as a gift. In 1565, when Cebu was engulfed in war, a great fire on April 27 reduced the city to ashes, yet the Santo Niño statue remained unscathed. Locals regarded this as a miracle and began to worship it. Later, Captain Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and Fr. Andres Urdaneta built the “Infant Jesus Christ” statue at the site where the Santo Niño was found, while placing a replica of the original in the nunnery of the Catholic cathedral. The original Santo Niño statue was enshrined on the main altar of the church. This approximately 40-centimeter-tall wooden Infant Jesus Christ statue is revered as the oldest religious icon in the Philippines and continues to be deeply worshipped by the public. 　Transportation The Basilica Minore del Santo Niño is located next to the Magellan’s Cross.

Cebu, Philippines