The BasĆlica Menor del Santo NiƱo de Cebu, Minor Basilica of
the Holy Child of Cebu, commonly known as Santo NiƱo Basilica, is a basilica in
Cebu City in the Philippines that was founded in 1565 by Fray AndrƩs de
Urdaneta and Fray Diego de Herrera. It is the oldest Roman Catholic church in
the country, allegedly built on the spot where the image of the Santo NiƱo de
Cebu was found during the expedition of Miguel LĆ³pez de Legazpi.
This image of the Child Jesus is the same one presented by
Ferdinand Magellan to the chief consort of Rajah Humabon on the occasion of
their royal Baptism to Roman Catholicism on 14 April 1521. The image was found
by a soldier named Juan de Camuz forty years later, preserved in a wooden box,
after Legazpi had razed a local village. When Pope Paul VI made the church a
basilica in 1965, he declared it to be the symbol of the birth and growth of
Christianity in the Philippines.
The present building was completed from 1739 - 1740 and was
designated by the Holy See as the Mother and Head of all Churches in the
Philippines.
The church of the Holy Child was founded by Fray AndrƩs de
Urdaneta, O.S.A. on 28 April 1565, the day when the image of the Holy Child was
found in a partially burned hut. More than a week passed after the rediscovery
of the image on 8 May 1565, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi initiated the founding of
the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. On the spot of the house where
the image of the Santo NiƱo was found, the monastery of the Holy Name of Jesus
was constructed.
The first church to be built on the site where the image of
the Holy Child was found was burned down on November 1, 1566. It was said to be
built by Fr. Diego de Herrera using wood and nipa. Fray Pedro Torres, O.S.A.
started the construction of a new church in 1605. It was finished in 1626 but
was again burned in March 1628. Fray Juan Medina, O.S.A. started the
construction of another church in 1628, using stone and bricks, a great
innovation at that time. The construction was stopped because the structure was
found to be defective.
On February 29, 1735, Father Provincial BergaƱo, Governor-General Fernando Valdes, Bishop Manuel Antonio Decio y Ocampo of Cebu, and Fray Juan de Albarran, O.S.A. started the foundations of the present church, using stone. Since the friars did not have the means to complete the church, they enlisted the help of the parishioners of Open and San Nicolas to contribute materials, while the people of Talisay contributed labor. The lack of chief craftsmen and officers forced Fray Albarran to acquire some knowledge of architecture.
The church was finished around 1739.
On January 16, 1740, the miraculous image was enthroned in
the new Augustinian church.
In 1789, the church underwent a renovation. In 1889, Fray
Mateo Diez, O.S.A. did another renovation. The original features of the church
have been retained except for the windows which he added.
In the 1960s, both church and convent underwent a bigger restoration on the occasion of the Fourth Centennial of the Christianization of the country. The face lifting was made with the utmost respect for the historical character of the old structure.
In 1965, Ildebrando Cardinal Antoniutti, Papal Legate to the Philippines, conferred the church the honorific title BasĆlica Menor upon the authority of Pope Paul VI. As a Minor Basilica, it is given precedence over other churches and other privileges. Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos also declared it a National Landmark.
The Basilica del Santo NiƱo remains under the care of the
Augustinian Friars.
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