Basílica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebú

The Santo Niño Basilica was founded in 1565 and is the oldest Roman Catholic Church in the country. It is built on the spot where the image of the Santo Niño de Cebú was found during the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi. The icon, a statuette of the Child Jesus, is the same one presented by Magellan to the chief consort of Rajah Humabon upon the Royal couple’s christening in 1521.

The present building was completed between 1739-40. It has been designated by the Holy See as the ‘Mater et Caput…Omnium Ecclesiarum Insularum Philippinarum’ (Mother and Head of all Churches in the Philippines). In the 1960s, the Basilica and Convent underwent a major restoration in honour of the Fourth Centennial of the Christianisation of the Country. on 15th October, 2013 a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the area destroying much of the belfry and façade of the Basilica. These have now been restored and the Basilica is once again open to the public.