Basilica Minore del Santo Nino
The Basilica Minore Del Santo Nino is the country's oldest church, built in 1565 by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Fray de Urdaneta. Destroyed by fire on November 1, 1568, it was rebuilt in 1602 and rehabilitated in 1740. The church was conferred the title Basilica Minore del Santo Nino in May 1965.
This is also where the miraculous Santo Nino de Cebu statue is enshrined. This is the oldest religious relic in the Philippines given by Magellan to Queen Juana in 1521, the statue survived fires set by the Spaniards themselves in 1565. Since then Cebuanos in particular have venerated the image.
Fort San Pedro
Explore a real Spanish fortress with old canons pointing out to sea that were used to repel invading pirates. Now the entire fort is a Museum full of exhibits and artefacts from the Spanish colonial period including relics recovered from the old Spanish Galleon known as San Diego located off Fortune Island just off the coast of Nasugbu, Batangas. The artefacts on display include Ming porcelain pieces of all sizes and designs, coins, lockets, sword fragments, cannons and helmets.
Magellan's Cross
This is a large wooden cross which Ferdinand Magellan brought with him in the year 1521 when he first set foot in the Philippines. The cross is not just only a local attraction but it is also a symbolism of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines which is now 98% Christian.
The cross is housed in a small chapel next to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niņo on Magallanes Street (Magallanes being the Spanish form of Magellan), just in front of the city hall of Cebu City. The cross is encased in an outer layer of tindalo wood, mounted on a concrete pedestal, and housed in a tile-roofed kiosk. This is to protect the original cross from people who chipped away parts of the cross for sourvenir purposes or in the belief that the cross possesses miraculous powers. At the roof of the said kiosk is a painting of the planting of the cross, the first mass in the country, and the baptizing of the first Catholics in the Philippines .
Some people, however, believe that the original cross had been destroyed or had disappeared after Magellan's death, and the cross is a replica that was planted there by the Spaniards after they successfully colonized the Philippines.
Magellan's Cross is a symbol of Cebu City and the chapel's image can be found in its city seal.
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