Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu City is a Romanesque minor basilica and one of only two National Cultural Treasures located in Cebu, Philippines.
Established in 1565, it is the first and the oldest Roman Catholic church in Cebu and in the Philippines.
In the olden times, it was called the Church of San Agustin. It is also known as Santo Niño Church of Cebu, Church of the Sto. Niño, and Basilica del Sto. Niño.
Table of Contents
History
Its history, like Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, goes back to the beginning of the Spanish conquest.
In 1521, explorer Ferdinand Magellan bore three gifts to the royal family and the people of Cebu: a bust of Christ called Ecce Homo, an image of the Blessed Virgin, and an image of the Holy Infant. The last gift he gave to Hara Humamay, wife of the king of Cebu, Rajah Humabon.
A miracle was attributed to the Child Jesus when a sick kin of the king was cured of his affliction. Magellan’s expedition ended disastrously in his death at the hands of the king of Mactan, Lapulapu, and only eighteen of Magellan’s crew returned to Spain to complete the circumnavigation of the world.
Discovery of Sto. Niño
In 1565, the fleet of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi landed in Cebu. When negotiations to establish a colony with the ruling elite fell apart and its people issued threats of war, Legazpi began an attack that sparked a great blaze in their kingdom. However, a change of the direction of the wind left a portion of their territory undamaged.
On April 28, 1565, a Spanish sailor by the name of Juan de Camus inspected a house that was spared from the flames and came upon an astonishing discovery of the icon of the Holy Infant, Magellan’s gift to the queen of Cebu 44 years earlier.
Basilica complex
The area where the nondescript nipa house stood in which the Sto. Niño image was found was allocated for the use of the Augustinian friars. On the site Fray Andres de Urdaneta established a monastery and a church. For a time it was called San Agustin Church, the precursor of what would become today as the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño.
The first church was made of bamboo and nipa, and then Fr. Martin de Rada undertook the building of a church and monastery but these did not last as they were razed in 1566. A new church was built starting in 1576 and completed in 1602; once again it was destroyed by fire in 1628.
Fr. Juan de Medina initiated the much-needed reconstruction in the following year, and the place of worship that he oversaw to be built stood for more than a century.
By the early 18th century, the church was in poor condition that it was demolished to give way to the minor basilica that we know today. Construction led by Fr. Juan Albarran commenced in 1735. The endeavor was plagued by concerns such as inadequate funding, lack of skilled labor, and insufficient supply of building materials that were appropriate for the structure to withstand the climate and earthquakes.
Finally on January 16, 1740, the new church was blessed.
In 1965, Pope Paul VI elevated its status to a minor basilica. On April 28 of the same year the icon was canonically crowned, joining the list of holy icons granted similar pontifical coronation such as Nuestra Señora del Patrocinio, Our Lady of Guadalupe de Cebu, and Nuestra Señora De Regla.
Further renovations were done through the years. On October 15, 2013, its belfry collapsed due to a 7.2-magntiude earthquake that struck Cebu and Bohol. Funds for the restorations were defrayed by a grant from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).
The restored belfry was turned over by NHCP to the Augustinian administrators with President Benigno Aquino III in attendance and as keynote speaker on March 3, 2016.
Heritage
A historical marker was installed by the Philippine Historical Committee in 1941. On August 1, 1973, it was declared a National Historical Landmark by virtue of President Decree No. 260.
Finally, the National Museum of the Philippines declared the church and the pavilion containing the crooss of Ferdinand Magellan as National Cultural Treasure in 2021.
Architecture
The Basilica Complex comprising the basilica, pilgrims’ center, library, archives, and store is located in a block hemmed by P. Burgos St., D. Jakosalem St., and Osmeña Blvd. The church is characterized by seamless blend of Romanesque, Islamic, and neo-classical elements. In the epistle side of the basilica’s facade is a quadrilateral steeple. The engaged columns of the belfry are round-shaped, and balustraded parapet enclosed its red onion roof. The spire is a slender turret pierced by open arches.
The facade of the church is filled with reliefs of various iconography. The top of the entrance is half trefoil-shaped; in the gospel side on the ground floor is a smaller entrance door that is similarly shaped.
On the frontispiece is an image of the Holy Infant, His feet stamping a serpent and skeletal figure symbolizing triumph over sin. Flanking it are open arched windows decorated with ironwork. Its pediment is triangular with a pinnacle on either side. Pilasters, standing on plinths, are rectilinear unlike the ones in the belfry. The rest of the structure extending in the gospel side is a stonewall of buttresses and rectangular windows.
Celebration
The feast of Santo Niño de Cebu is held every third Sunday of January where in a cultural-religious fiesta called Sinulog Festival, one of the biggest and most popular festivals in the Philippines.
Services
Confession schedule is as follows: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 4:00 in the afternoon until 6:00 in the evening. On Fridays, the confessional is open from 8:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon, and from 4:00 in the afternoon until 6:00 in the evening.
The gates to the basilica are opened from 6:00 in the morning and closes 6:00 in the evening. On Fridays and Saturdays, the opening of the gates occurs earlier at 4:30 in the morning and later at 8:00 in the evening.
The masses at the basilica every second Monday of the month is celebrated in English and live over TV Maria, a Facebook page maintained by the Archdiocese of Manila in the service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu City from December 16, 2024 to December 22, 2024. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Cebu City.
Monday
- 7:00-8:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 8:00-9:00 AM (English - Live on Facebook & YouTube)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (Cebuano)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (English)
Tuesday
- 7:00-8:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 8:00-9:00 AM (English - Live on Facebook & YouTube)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (Cebuano)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (English)
Wednesday
- 7:00-8:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 8:00-9:00 AM (English - Live on Facebook & YouTube)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (Cebuano)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (English)
Thursday
- 7:00-8:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 8:00-9:00 AM (English - Live on Facebook & YouTube)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (Cebuano)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (English)
Friday
- 5:00-6:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 6:30-7:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 8:00-9:00 AM (English - Live on Facebook & YouTube)
- 9:30-10:30 AM (English - Live on Facebook & YouTube)
- 11:00-12:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 12:30-1:30 AM (English)
- 2:00-3:00 PM (Cebuano - Live on Facebook & YouTube)
- 3:30-4:30 PM (Cebuano)
- 5:00-6:00 PM (English)
- 6:30-7:30 PM (English)
Saturday
- 7:00-8:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 8:00-9:00 AM (English - Live on Facebook & YouTube)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (Cebuano)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (English)
Sunday
- 5:00-6:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 6:30-7:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 8:00-9:00 AM (English - Live on Facebook & YouTube)
- 9:30-10:30 AM (English - Live on Facebook & YouTube)
- 11:00-12:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 12:30-1:30 AM (English)
- 2:00-3:00 PM (Cebuano - Live on Facebook & YouTube)
- 3:30-4:30 PM (Cebuano)
- 5:00-6:00 PM (English)
- 6:30-7:30 PM (English)
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu City |
| Other Names | Church of San Agustin, the Church of the Sto. Niño, Basilica del Sto. Niño |
| Address | Osmeña Boulevard, Cebu City 6000 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | +63 (32) 255 - 6697 to 99 |
| bmsn.decebu@gmail.com | |
| www.facebook.com | |
| www.instagram.com | |
| twitter.com | |
| Website | santoninodecebubasilica.org |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Founder | Fray Andres de Urdaneta, O.S.A. |
| Established | April 28, 1565 |
| Age | 459 years |
| Status | Minor Basilica |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| District | District I - Metro Cebu North |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of the Most Holy Rosary |
| Patron | Minor Basilica |
| Feast day | Third Sunday of January |
| Relic | Sto. Niño de Cebu |
| Religious order | Order of Saint Augustine |
| Province | Augustinian Province of Sto. Niño de Cebu - Philippines |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | National Historical Landmark (1973), National Cultural Treasure (2021) |
| Completed | 1740 |
| Age since completed | 284 years |
| Consecrated | January 16, 1740 |
| Builder | Fr. Martin de Rada, O.S.A, Fr. Juan Medina, O.S.A., Fr. Juan Albarran, O.S.A. |
| Style | Romanesque |
| Belfry | 1 |
| Bell | 7 |
| Tower | 1 |
| Spire | 0 |
Nearby Churches
- Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Carmen La Limpia in Cebu City
- Archdiocesan Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Cebu City
- Blessed Sacrament Parish Church in Cebu City
- Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral in Cebu City
- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church in Cebu City
- Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church in Capitol, Cebu City
- San Vicente Ferrer Parish Church in Cebu City
- Sto. Niño Chapel in Cebu City
References
- Galende, Pedro G (1987). Angels in Stone: Architecture of Augustinian Churches in the Philippines. G.A. Formoso Pub.
- Galende, Pedro G. OSA (2016). Santo Niño de Cebu, 1565-2015, 450 years of History, Culture and Devotion. Vibal Foundation, Inc., (Quezon City: 2016).
- Balaanong Bahandi: Sacred Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu. Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Inc. and University of San Carlos Press. 2010. ISBN 978-9715390187.
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu. Retrieved June 12, 2022
- Sala-Boza, Astrid (September 2006). The Contested Site of the Finding of the Holy Child: Villa San Miguel or San Nicolas (Cebu El Viejo)? Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society. Vol. 34, No. 3, Special Issue: Santo Niño de Cebu Ethnohistorical Studies, pp. 224-252 (30 pages). University of San Carlos Publications. Retrieved June 13, 2022
- Sala-Boza, A. (2008). Towards Filipino Christian Culture: Mysticism and Folk Catholicism in the Señor Sto. Niño de Cebu Devotion. Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, 36(4), 281–308. University of San Carlos Publications. Retrieved June 12, 2022
- Sala-Boza A. (December 2008). The Sword and the Sto. Niño: Señor Sto. Niño de Cebu History Revisited. Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society Vol. 36, No. 4, Special Issue in Memory of Fr. Eugene Verstraelen, SVD and Dr. Mimi Trosdal (December 2008), pp. 243-280 (38 pages). University of San Carlos Publications. Retrieved June 13, 2022
- Commemoration of the Ecce Homo. Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño. July 25, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2022
- Basilica History. Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño. Retrieved June 13, 2022
- Ocampo, Ambeth R. (March 10, 2017). Tourists taking selfies overlook this relic. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 13, 2022
- Ecce Homo image now in Basilica. Cebu Daily News. April 30, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2022
- Erram, Morexette Marie B. (April 15, 2021). Basilica church, Magellan’s Cross pavilion are national cultural treasures, not Sto. Niño statue. Cebu Daily News. Retrieved June 13, 2022
- Radio Message of Paul VI on the Fourth Centenary of the Evangelization of the Philippines. Vatican. May 2, 1965. Retrieved via original and archived copy on June 13, 2022.
- Pigafetta, Antonio. The First Voyage Round the World/Pigafetta’s Account of Magellan’s Voyage. Translated by Lord Stanley of Alderley. Wikisource. Retrieved June 13, 2022
- Basilica Minore Del Santo Niño de Cebu. Filipinas Heritage Library. Retrieved June 14, 2022
- Santo Niño Church, Cebu. Filipinas Heritage Library. Retrieved June 14, 2022
- Basilica of the Santo Niño. Filipinas Heritage Library. Retrieved June 14, 2022
- Miasco, May (July 31, 2016). Basilica Minore del Santo Niño: Restoring a historical landmark. The Freeman. Retrieved June 14, 2022
- Turnover Ceremony of the BASILICA MINORE DEL SANTO NIÑO DE CEBU AND MAGELLAN’S CROSS. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2022
- Mayol, Ador Vincent S., Ta-as, Apple (March 3, 2016). Restored belfry turned over to Church. Cebu Daily News. Retrieved June 15, 2022
- President Aquino joins turnover rites for newly restored Basilica Minore Del Santo Niño. Presidential Communications Operations Office. March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2022
- Gabii sa Kabilin Guide: Forging Peoples. Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. May 27, 2016. Retrieved via Issuu on July 8, 2022
- Reyes, Fr. Ric Anthony OSA (January 11, 2015). The Canonical Coronation of the Señor Sto. Niño de Cebu. The Freeman. Retrieved July 10, 2022
- Elizaga, Troy. The Formation of Towns and Parishes in Cebu, Philippines. Retrieved via Academia on July 20, 2022
- Presidential Decree No. 260, s. 1973. Official Gazette. Retrieved December 4, 2022
- Church and Convent of Santo Niño. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. February 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2022
- Presidential Decree No. 260, s. 1973. Official Gazette. Retrieved December 4, 2022