Basilica del Santo Niño Catholic Church in Cebu City
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Cebu holiest church houses a revered Flemish statuette of the Christ child (Santo Niño) that dates to Magellan’s time
The church is no stranger to hardship: established in 1565 (the first church in the Philippines), three earlier structures were destroyed by fire, before the existing baroque structure was built in 1737, it was also badly damaged by the 2013 earthquake but has since been restored, perhaps the church owes its incendiary past to the perennial bonfire of candles in its courtyard, stoked by an endless procession of pilgrims and other worshippers
The object of their veneration is an image of the infant Jesus, sequestered in a chapel to the left of the altar. It dates back to Magellan’s time and is said to be miraculous, every year in January, the image is the centrepiece of Cebu largest annual event, the Sinulog Festival, and on Sundays and Fridays, the street outside the church is closed to traffic, all-day outdoor masses are held and the basilica turns into a sea of pilgrims, including food & drink vendors, candle vendors and replica Santo Niño vendors
