The Basilica of Santo Niño, located in Cebu City, the capital of the island of the same name, is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the Philippines. Construction of the church began in 1565 under the direction of an Augustinian friar named Andres de Urdaneta. According to legend, the site was not chosen by chance - it was here, in the centre of of present-day Cebu, in 1565, the Spanish found an image of the Child Jesus, brought to the island by Fernan Magellan decades earlier.
The first basilica was built with clay and wood. In 1735, the governor Cebu province Fernando Valdes Tamon ordered a new building to be constructed on the site, this time of stone. The construction was completed in 1739. The architectural feature of the church was an organic combination of three styles - Muslim, Romanesque and Neoclassical. Two centuries later, in 1965, during the 400th anniversary of the Christianisation of the Philippines. Paul VI granted the church the status of "minor basilica". To this day, the Basilica of Santo Niño is still in the possession of the Order of St Augustine.
Inside the basilica is organised a small museum dedicated to the history of the of the Christianisation of Cebu Island. Here you can see antiques, including antique furniture, priests' robes, figurines and other things. An interesting interesting part of the museum's collection are the numerous toys that were donated Baby Jesus.
Today, to visit the Basilica of Santo Niño come not only numerous believers, but also tourists. In order to accommodate all visitors, a so-called “pilgrimage center” was built on the territory of the church yard.
