Cebu sights
Basilica del Santo Niño
The oldest Roman Catholic church in the Philippines, founded in 1565, and home to the revered Santo Niño — a statue of the Holy Child Jesus given by Magellan in 1521. A major pilgrimage site, busiest during the January Sinulog festival.
About
The Minor Basilica of the Santo Niño is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the Philippines, founded in 1565 on the spot where the image of the Santo Niño — a statuette of the Christ Child that Magellan gave to Cebu's Queen Juana at her baptism in 1521 — was rediscovered, unburned, in the ashes of the village 44 years later. That survival was taken as a miracle, and the Santo Niño became the most venerated religious icon in the country. The present stone church dates mainly to the 18th century, with a richly decorated interior and a small museum, and the original image is kept in a side chapel where pilgrims queue to pray. Devotion peaks each January during the Sinulog, one of the Philippines' grandest festivals, when a huge procession and street-dancing parade honour the Santo Niño and fill Cebu City with colour. It stands immediately beside Magellan's Cross.
Good to know
Opening hours and entry fees vary by season — check before you visit.