Santo Niño de Cebú

The Señor Santo Niño de Cebú is a Catholic title of the Child Jesus associated with a religious image of the Christ Child widely venerated as miraculous by Filipino Catholics. It is the oldest Christian artifact in the Philippines, originally a gift from the Conquistador Ferdinand Magellan to Rajah Humabon (baptized as Carlos) and his wife and chief consort, Hara Humamay (baptized as Juana) on account of their Christian baptism in 1521. The image is the only canonically crowned image of Jesus Christ in the Philippines.

The dark wood statue measures approximately 12 in tall, and carved in the Flemish style. It depicts the Child Jesus, with a serene countenance, in the attitude and dress of a Spanish monarch. The statue bears imperial regalia, including a golden crown, globus cruciger, and various sceptres, wears fine vestments, and possesses jewelry mostly offered by devotees over several centuries.

The image is replicated in various parts of the country with different titles and is one of the most beloved and recognizable Filipino cultural icons. The annual dancing feast of Sinulog is held on the third Sunday of January every year in its honor. Today, the original image is permanently encased behind bulletproof glass inside its chapel within the Basilica del Santo Niño.

History
The Santo Niño de Cebú was originally produced by Flemish artisans, according to a hagiography, based on a vision of Teresa of Ávila, the 16th century Discalced Carmelite mystic.

In early 1521, a Spanish expedition ordered by King Charles I and led by Ferdinand Magellan was on a voyage from Spain to find a westward route to the Spice Islands. After crossing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, on April 7, 1521, they landed in Limasawa, Southern Leyte, and met a local ruler named Raja Kulambu, who introduced him to Rajah Humabon, ruler of Cebu Island, and his chief consort, Hara Humamay. On April 14, Magellan presented them with three gifts: a bust of Christ as the Ecce Homo, an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Santo Niño as part of their baptism and strategic alliance. As Humabon adopted the Catholic faith, he took the Christian name of "Carlos" (after Charles I), while Humamay was christened "Juana" (after Joanna of Castile, Charles' mother). According to Antonio Pigafetta – Magellan's memoir writer, along with the ruler, about 500 males along with the Queen and 40 women were also converted by Father Pedro Valderrama. At the ceremony, Raja Kulambu of Limasawa also converted and was given the name Don "Juan", while his Muslim captain was named Don "Cristobal".

A few days after the mass baptism, Magellan undertook a war expedition on the behalf of the newly named King Carlos, attacking Mactan Island and burning down hamlets which resisted. The residents led by Lapu Lapu defended Magellan's attack with force, and Magellan died on April 27, in the Battle of Mactan, about three weeks after he had arrived in Philippines. After Magellan's death, his Spanish colleagues left.

The next Spanish expedition arrived on April 27, 1565, led by Miguel López de Legazpi, again to gain a foothold for a colony to trade spices. He attempted a peaceful colonization, but these efforts were rejected. As a result, he opened fire on Cebu and burnt the coastal town down destroying 1,500 homes and possibly killing 500 people. In the ruins of this destruction, on April 28, the Spanish mariner Juan Camus found the image of the Santo Niño in a pine box. According to the local legend, the survival of the statue was seen as a sign of miracle by the colonizers, and ever since it has been believed to have miraculous powers.



The image of the Santo Niño is the oldest surviving Catholic relic in the Philippines, along with the Magellan's Cross. A church to house Santo Niño was built on the spot where the image was found by Juan Camus. The church was originally made of bamboo and mangrove palm and is to be the oldest church in the Philippines. The church structure was destroyed several times over and was finally rebuilt with a permanent structure made from coralstone much later. The coralstone church structure is the Basilica that we see today.

During World War II, the Japanese forces dropped bombs from their planes all over Cebu, including the Basilica. A bomb fell in the Basilica and greatly damaged the roof but, miraculously, did not explode. When the Augustinian friars inspected the immediate impact of the bomb in the church, they found that the image of the Santo Niño was flung out of its place in the High Altar and was dangling by its cape which had been snagged by an electric candle by the altar. After seeing the image displaced from the altar and seeing the rest of the church in great disrepair, and also out of the fear of future bombings in the vicinity of the Basilica, the Augustinian friars decided that it was best to seek refuge elsewhere. They sought refuge from the Redemptorist brothers in the Parish of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, commonly known locally as the "Redemptorist Church". The friars hid the image of the Santo Niño in a metal vault under the icon of Our Lady for seven months for safekeeping. After the war, the image was brought out of the vault to be displayed and venerated by the public. When the image was brought out of the vault, the friars had found that the dark paint that originally covered the image was peeling off. When they had peeled off all of the dark paint, they found that the image had a much fairer complexion. The image was venerated with its fair complexion for some time until the image was repainted with a brown complexion several years later.



Pope Paul VI elevated the church to the status of Minor Basilica on its 400th anniversary (Spanish: Basílica Minore del Santo Niño). As part of the Culmination for the 400th Commemoration of the Christianization of the Philippines, the image of the Santo Niño was Canonically Crowned. A hundred years later, the Basilica was declared a National Cultural Treasure of the Philippines as one of the highlights of the Celebration of the 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines and the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines.

Name
The name, "Santo Niño" was taken from the Spanish words, "Santo" which means "Holy" in its masculine form and "Niño" which means "Child" in its masculine form. Thus, it is translated as "Holy Child".

In the Spanish Bible it can be read in Luke 1:35 that:

"Y el ángel dijo: —El Espíritu Santo vendrá sobre ti y el poder del Altísimo te cubrirá con su sombra. Así que al Santo Niño que va a nacer lo llamarán Hijo de Dios." -

In the King James Version, the title "Holy Child" was also applied even if Jesus was already ascended to heaven.

"By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus."(Acts 4:30, King James Version 1611)

Feast
The feast, locally known as Fiesta Señor, starts on the Thursday after the Solemnity of the Epiphany. Each year, the celebration starts with a dawn procession wherein the replica image of Santo Niño de Cebú is brought down to the streets. It is then followed by the novena Masses, which span nine days.

On the last day of the novena, another dawn procession is held wherein the image of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebú is removed from its shrine and brought to the Basílica Menor. After the procession, it will stay for a while in the Basilica. Then, the images of Santo Niño de Cebu and Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebú are brought to the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City to be reunited with the icon of the church's namesake, thus forming the Holy Family. This transfer, which is common in fiestas throughout the country, is called Traslación. This practice started on January 19, 1989.

On the morning of the vísperas ("eve", i.e., the day before) of the feast, the images of Santo Niño de Cebu and Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebú are brought back to Cebu City in a fluvial procession that concludes with a reenactment of the first Mass and baptism in the islands. A break from tradition, the image of St. Joseph joined the fluvial procession for the first time in 2024. It is then followed by a grand yet solemn foot procession in the afternoon, culminating in a Pontifical Mass concelebrated by bishops and priests. The grand Sinulog Festival is then held on the following Sunday.

The Hubo rite
The festival officially ends on the Friday after the Holy Child's feast day, and it is marked with the traditional Hubo (Cebuano, "undress") rite. During a Mass, the basilica's priests and sacristans ceremoniously and reverently strip the Santo Niño of its festal vestments and regalia.

There is a strict order of divesting the icon: first the crown is removed, followed by the orb and sceptre; then the cape; then the sash and tunic, and finally, the inner garments. The priest recites a short petition before each removal, which is marked with a festive drum roll. The priest then chants Christe exaudi nos (Latin for “Christ, graciously hear us”).

The priest then raises the icon for veneration, carefully dips it in a basin of scented water four times, and wipes it dry. He then dresses it in a plainer set of robes, and replaces the regalia in reverse order of divesture. Upon replacing each item, he intones a prayer and leads the congregation in singing the refrain of the Laudes Regiæ: Christus Vincit; Christus Regnat; Christus, Christus Imperat (“Christ Conquers; Christ Reigns; Christ Commands”). Drum rolls then announce the moment as the insignia are worn.

The rite is explained as highlighting Christ's humility, and on the part of the individual believer, it should inspire an internal, spiritual conversion. It was only in 1990 when the Augustinian priests caring for the icon first made the rite public. The Hubo Mass today is held on the Friday following the feast day at the Pilgrim Center outside the Basilica, and the masses following generally mark the termination of the long celebrations.

Pontifical approbations
The original feast date for the image was April 28, but in the 18th century, the following changes were made:
 * Pope Innocent XIII moved the date to avoid conflict with Eastertide. In addition, he approved special liturgical texts for use during the local feast of the Santo Niño in the Philippines, set on the third Sunday of January, followed by the Sinulog festival.
 * Pope Paul VI issued a decree of canonical coronation for the image via the papal bull Cubanula Religionis on February 27, 1964, while the coronation was held on April 28, 1965. Through the papal bull Ut Clarificetur, the same pontiff raised the sanctuary to a Minor Basilica on May 2.
 * Pope John Paul II gave his papal endorsement for the image in his Mass for Families on February 19, 1981.
 * Pope Francis, also endorsed the image and called the Santo Niño "protector" of the Philippines, in his homily at the Rizal Park on January 18, 2015.

Military honors


During the Spanish colonial era, the Santo Niño was given the high military rank of Captain-General, with the full title of "Celentísimo Capitán General de las Esfuerzas Españolas en Filipinas" (The Most Esteemed Captain-General of the Spanish Forces in the Philippines). For this reason, the statue is vested in a red cape and sash, symbolising the rank of a general, and military boots.

Presently, the rank is called Celentisimo Capitan General de las Esfuerzas en Filipinas, with the "Españolas" dropped, thusly translating to Most Esteemed Captain-General of the Forces in the Philippines. Further, the image was later honoured by the Philippine Navy with the title "Lord Admiral of the Sea" (Spanish: Señor Almirante de la Mar) during the 446th anniversary of the image's Kaplag ("finding" or "rediscovery") in 2011. This was done in acknowledgment of Christ's "lordship over seafarers, mariners and the marine ecology." The image was taken aboard the naval ship BRP General Emilio Aguinaldo (PG-140) for a fluvial parade, marking the first time its own naval ensign bearing its coat-of-arms was flown by a Philippine naval vessel. The honour was a joint effort of the Naval Forces Central, Philippine Coast Guard-Cebu District, Cebu Ports Authority, Philippine National Police Maritime Group, among others.

Patronage
The Santo Niño was popularly considered the official patron of Cebu, but the Church in the Philippines suppressed the notion and clarified that it is not the representation of a saint that intercedes to God but rather God in the person of Jesus. Instead, the Archbishop of Cebu, Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, controversially declared Our Lady of Guadalupe of Cebú as the principal patroness of Cebu in 2002. While the declaration was met with negative reactions from the Cebuano people, a priest from the Colegio del Santo Niño defended the Archbishop's declaration.

The devotion to the Santo Niño is common with worldwide veneration of the Infant Jesus of Prague. The image is found in many houses, business establishments, and public transportation. Traditionally, the image is often dressed in one of two colors: red is common for domestic images, while green – symbolizing luck – is worn by those enshrined in businesses. However, the church declared that red is the prescribed color of the image, not green. It is also often dressed in miniature costumes that often reflect the profession of its devotee such as physicians, nurses, policemen, or teachers. Another popular variation is the Santo Niño de Atocha which in the country is uniquely in a standing pose rather than seated as with the Spanish version.