Basilica del Santo Niño
| Minor Basilica of the Holy Child | |
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| Basílica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebú | |
The Basílica Minore del Santo Niño is the Mother and Head of All Churches in the Philippines.
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 Minor Basilica of the Holy Child
Location in the Philippines
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| 10°17′38″N 123°54′5″E / 10.29389°N 123.90139°ECoordinates: 10°17′38″N 123°54′5″E / 10.29389°N 123.90139°E | |
| Location | Cebu City |
| Country | Philippines |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | Official website |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Church and Convent of Saint Augustine |
| Founded | April 28, 1565 |
| Founder(s) |
Fray Andres de Urdaneta, O.S.A. Fray Diego de Herrera, O.S.A. |
| Consecrated | 1739 - 1740 |
| Relics held | Santo Niño de Cebú |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Basilica |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | National Historical Landmark |
| Designated | 1941 |
| Architect(s) | Fray Juan de Albarran, O.S.A. |
| Architectural type | Church and convent |
| Style | Earthquake Baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 1735 |
| Completed | 1739-1740 |
| Specifications | |
| Number of domes | None |
| Materials | Stone |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| Province | Augustinian Province of Sto. Niño de Cebu - Philippines |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Jose Serofia Palma, D.D. |
| Rector | Rev. Fr. Pacifico C. Nohara Jr. O.S.A. |
Fray Andres de Urdaneta, O.S.A.
The Minor Basilica of the Holy Child (Cebuano: Basilica Minore del Santo Niño Spanish: Basilica del Santo Niño and Filipino: Basilica Menor del Santo Niño) and commonly known as the Santo Niño Basilica, is a minor basilica in Cebu City in the Philippines that was founded in the 1565 by Frays Andrés de Urdaneta, O.S.A. and Diego de Herrera, O.S.A.. 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 statue of the Child Jesus, is the same one presented by Ferdinand Magellan to the chief consort of Rajah Humabon upon the royal couple's christening on April 14, 1521. It was found by a soldier 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 said it is "the symbol of the birth and growth of Christianity in the Philippines."
The present building, which was completed from 1739-1740, has been designated by the Holy See as the "Mother and Head of all Churches in the Philippines" (Mater et Caput... Omnium Ecclesiarum Insularum Philippinarum).
The church of the Holy Child was founded by Fray Andrés de Urdaneta, O.S.A. on April 28, 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 of Santo Niño, on May 8, 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 Niño was found, the monastery of the Holy Name of Jesus was constructed. The image was therefore brought to its new shrine in a solemn procession.
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Wikipedia