Religious spots in Cebu

Many religious places exist in Cebu, and there are many legends about the history of Cebu’s civilization. Such places are the following:

Basilica Minor del Santo Niño

     This church was built by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and Fr. Andres Urdaneta on the site where the image of Santo Niño was found in 1565. The first structure of the church was however destroyed by fire on November 1, 1568. It was rebuilt in 1602 under the administration of Juan Albaran and was rehabilitated in 1740. On May 1965, the church was conferred the title of Basilica Minor del Santo Niño by Cardinal Antonuitte, Papal Legate during the Fourth Centennial celebration of the Christianization of Cebu

Image of Santo Niño

     Considered as the oldest religious relic in the Philippines. It was on April 21, 1521 that Magellan gave the image to Queen Juana as a baptismal gift. Forty-four years later, on Apri1 27, 1565, when Miguel Lopez de Legaspi arrived in Cebu, Fr. Andres de Urdaneta, who formally Christianized the Cebuanos, found the natives hostile. Legaspi himself besieged the settlement and set the village on fire. It was on one of the burnt houses that Juan Camus, a soldier, found the image of Santo Niño unscratched. Since then the miraculous image has been venerated by the Cebuanos as their Patron Saint. At present, the miraculous image is kept in the Parish Covent, and a replica is adorned with gold and precious stones and enshrined in glass. It is housed in a side altar inside the Basilica Minor del Santo Niño.

Taoist Temple

     It is located in Beverly Hills, Cebu City. The temple preserves the teachings of Lao-Tse, the 600 B.C. Chinese philosopher. Everyday people climb its 81 steps (representing the 81 chapters of Taoism scriptures) to light joss sticks and have their fortune read.

Phu-Sian Temple

      A Buddhist Temple, the third Chinese temple on Beverly Hills, located at the right side of the road to the Taoist Temple

Chapel of the Last Supper

     Life-sized carvings of the Lord Jesus and his 12 apostles seated at a long table for the Last Supper. This is the only one of its kind in the country. This treasured relic is found in the Church of Mandaue City that dates back to 1601

Celestial Garden

     It is located in Banawa Hills, Cebu City. Owned and managed by the Tanchan Foundation. Twelve hectares of rolling hills where life-size statues depicting the drama of the Stations of the Cross were built.

Such places remind us that religion, by nature, was never a hindrance towards a better future.

Original essay by Patricia Nicole
September 30, 2004