The Cebu Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Cebu, located in the capital of the province of the same name. The construction of the of the cathedral began in 1689 and lasted for many years due to interruptions caused by a lack of funding and other unforeseen circumstances. One day the money allocated for the cathedral was spent fighting the Moro pirates. Another time, the cathedral was interrupted by the death of the bishop, who was in charge of the building. In 1786, only the facade was ready, and the consecration of the cathedral took place in 1940 - 250 years after the start of construction.
The architecture of the Cathedral is typical of the churches of the Spanish colonial period - squat. Spanish colonial period - a squat structure with sturdy walls that could to withstand typhoons and other natural disasters. The façade features a trefoil-shaped pediment decorated with carved floral motifs, the inscription. "Jesus Christ" and a pair of griffins. Above the main entrance is the Spanish Spanish royal coat of arms, symbolising the Spanish monarchy's contribution to the construction of the cathedral.
During World War II, much of the cathedral was destroyed in the Allied bombardment of the city, and the century-old archives of the bishopric. Only the bell tower, built in 1835, the facade and walls survived. The rest of the church was restored in the 1950s. In 1982, on the initiative of Archbishop Julio Rosales, a mausoleum was built near the sacristy, which now houses the remains of bishops and clergy of Cebu. In 2009, the cathedral underwent extensive restoration work, and a request was sent to the Vatican to a request was sent to the Vatican to designate the cathedral as a "minor basilica" in honour of the of the Christian martyr St Vitale. The day of veneration of this saint coincides with the day 450 years ago when an image of the Infant Jesus was found in Cebu.
