Basilica del Santo Niño
The Basílica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebú, also known as the Minor Basilica of the Holy Child and the Santo Niño Basilica, is a minor basilica in Cebu City in the Philippines that was founded in 1565 by Fray Andrés 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 Niño de Cebú was found during the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi.
| Basilica del Santo Niño | |
|---|---|
| Minor Basilica of the Holy Child of Cebu | |
| The Mother and Head of all Churches in the Philippines | |
Basílica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebú (Spanish) | |
The basilica in April 2018 | |
| 10°17′38″N 123°54′5″E | |
| Location | Cebu City |
| Country | Philippines |
| Language(s) | Cebuano, English |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Religious order | Order of St. Augustine |
| Website | Basilica del Santo Niño |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Church and Convent of Saint Augustine |
| Status | Minor Basilica |
| Founded | April 28, 1565 |
| Founder(s) | Fray Andres de Urdaneta, O.S.A. Fray Diego de Herrera, O.S.A. |
| Dedication | Santo Niño de Cebú |
| Dedicated | February 28, 1965 |
| Consecrated | January 16, 1740 |
| Events | Sinulog (Third Sunday of January) Kaplag (April 28) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | National Historical Landmark; National Cultural Treasure |
| Designated | 1941; April 14, 2021 |
| Architect(s) | Fray Juan de Albarran, O.S.A. |
| Architectural type | Cruciform church and convent |
| Style | Earthquake Baroque |
| Years built |
|
| Groundbreaking | February 1735 |
| Completed | January 16, 1740 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 62.3 m (204 ft) |
| Width | 17.7 m (58 ft) |
| Width across transepts | 31.2 m (102 ft) |
| Other dimensions | Façade facing southwest |
| Number of towers | 1 |
| Materials | Stone |
| Bells | 7 (6) |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Cebu |
| Deanery | Most Holy Rosary |
| Clergy | |
| Prior | Rev. Fr. Basilio Sugata-on, O.S.A. |
| Rector | Rev. Fr. Nelson G. Zerda, O.S.A. |
National Historical Landmarks | |
| Official name | Church and Convent of Santo Niño |
| Type | House of Worship |
| Designated | August 1, 1973 |
| Region | Central Visayas |
| Legal Basis | Presidential Decree No. 260, s. 1973 |
| Marker Date | 1941 |
National Cultural Treasures | |
| Official name | Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu |
| Designated | April 14, 2021 |
| Region | Central Visayas |
This image of the Child Jesus is the same presented by Ferdinand Magellan to the chief consort of Rajah Humabon on the occasion of their royal Baptism to Roman Catholicism on April 14, 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 in 1740 and was designated by the Holy See as the "Mother and Head of all Churches in the Philippines". It is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Cebu and the Augustinian Province of Santo Niño de Cebu.