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Combination of Introduction, Firmitas, Utilitas, Venustas

Introduction Basilica Minore del Santo Niño The conquering troops of Legazpi, upon landing in Cebu, in April 1565, discovered an image of the Christ Child inside a burning house. The soldier Juan Camus, a Basque, found the image still inside a wooden box. The image was clearly the Santo Niño done in the style of Flanders. The Augustinians in Legazpi’s expedition regarded the finding as an omen of good things to come. Thereupon the Augustinians established their first house. It was 28 April 1565. On 8 May Legazpi and his men drew up plans for the urbanization of Cebu and a site was allotted for a church and convent dedicated to Saint Augustine. A chapel of wood and nipa was hastily built and with appropriate ceremonies the image was enthroned in the chapel. On 1 June, Fr. Diego de Herrera, OSA was appointed as the first prior of the convent. Utilitas The convent of the Sto. Niño de Cebu was founded by Fr. Andres de Urdaneta on April 28, 1565, the very day the Legazpi-Urdaneta expedition arrived in the island. On May 8 of the same year, when Legaspi and his men planned the urbanization of the city, they allotted a “place for the church and the convent of San Agustin, “where the Santo Niño image had been found.” In 1599, the convent was made a house of studies of grammar, headed by the Visayan linguist, Fr. Alonso de Mentrida. It also served as a rest house for missionaries working in the province and as a retirement home for the aged and the sick, usually attended to by a lay brother. The church has always been the Sanctuary of the Sto. Niño, under the custody of the Augustinians. The number of priests assigned to the church varied from three to five aside from one or two lay brothers. The Chapter held on August 6, 1578 recommended to all the fathers “that prayers to the Sto. Niño be offered every month as was the custom before.” In 1641, the father provincial ordered that the feast of the Sto Niño be celebrated on January 14 “with all the possible solemnity, mass and sermon, since He deserves all the affection from us, being the Dulcisimo and most affectionate patron of our province.” Fr. Nicolas de la Cuadra (1731) was very instrumental in spreading the devotion of the Sto. Niño. He led an exemplary life, had writings and solemn rites which he established in the sanctuary, and acquired many jewels for the decoration of the statue. The first novena to the Santo Niño was introduced by Fr. Mateo Diez, rector of the sanctuary in 1889, under the Cebuano title Novena ug pagdayeg sa Ssmo. Niño Jesus nga guisimba sa cyudad sa Sugbu, printed in Mandaluyong, Asilo de Huerfanos, 1888. This novena has been reprinted countless times. Up to this time, the number of Sto. Niño devotees who follow the novena and attend mass every Friday keeps on increasing. The church is cruciform. The facade, made of cut coral is decorated with niches in which images of saints are placed. The church portal shows Moorish influence in its use of the trefoil arch. Above this portal is high relief of the Santo Niño defeating the devil. To one side of the facade is a quadrilateral bell tower. The same program of decoration found in the facade--arches and saints--is repeated in the bell tower. Two stone Chinese-style lions lead to the church interior, made more spacious, during the 1965 renovations. The interior comes to a focus at the main retablo. Its design is unusual because of the many niches and saints adorning it. More than a dozen statues are found on the retablo. The whole rests on a high plinth decorated with bas relieves of griffins. Worth noting in the interior are the carved lattice screens of the choir loft, the stained glass windows and the corn motif decorating the capitals along the nave. The image of the Santo Niño is on a side altar by itself. Except during church ceremonies, when it is discouraged, long lines of pilgrims come to touch the Santo Niño’s cape. The lines form outside at the ambulatory between church and convento and winds behind the altar. Follow the line if you want to touch this beloved icon of Cebu. Candles are not allowed inside the church, however, devotees may light candles at designated places in the ambulatory.

Convento del Santo Niño: Built around an atrium, the adjacent convento is still a residence for the priests. Parish offices now occupy the first story while the friars’ living quarters is on the second. An intricately carved stairway decorated by a carved newel post with Chinese-style lions leads to the spacious aula or living room, where a 19th century painting of Augustinian saints is displayed. A copy of this painting can be seen in the San Agustin Museum in Manila. Permission to enter the second story is needed. A museum to the Santo Niño of Cebu, formerly housed in one of the rooms on the first story, has been transferred to the bleachers constructed in front of the church for the Sinulog festivities and for the overflow crowd during church holydays.

The Firmitas of Basilica del Santo Nino •	Construction of the Church •	1566 - the first church believed to be built on the site where the image of the Holy Child was found was destroyed by fire. It was said to be built by Fr. Diego de Herrera using wood and nipa. •	1605 - Fr. Pedro Torres started the construction of a new church, again made of wood and nipa. It was finished in 1626 but was again burned in 1628. •	1628 - Fr. Juan Medina started the construction of another church, using stone and bricks, a great innovation at that time. The construction was stopped because the structure was found to be defective - the bricks used seemingly “melted” upon contact with air. •	February 29, 1735 - Father Provincial Bergaño, Governor-General Fernando Valdes, Bishop Manuel Antonio Decio y Ocampo of Cebu and Juan de Albarran Prior of the Santo Niño, started the foundations of the present church, using stone. A lot of help came. Fr. Antonio Lopez, prior of San Nicolas, assisted also together with the people of his district. The residents of Talisay also did four weeks of work and Fr. Francisco Aballe also tried to help with his parishioners from Mactan. The materials used : The stones were quarried from Capiz and Panay by an army of bancas. The molave wood came from the mountains of Talisay and Pitalo and was transported in bancas hired in Argao and Carcar. Fr. Albarran confessed that there was much difficulty in quarrying the stones. Despite the seemingly impossible task, Fr. Albarran was not discouraged. He used white stones to make the lime, with one banca transporting some 400 pieces of stones. There was also another obstacle: the lack of chief craftsmen and officers which forced Fr. Albarran to acquire some knowledge of architecture. The church was finished not later than 1739. According to an author named Vela, “the church has all the characteristics of a solid construction to withstand all the earthquakes…….” And true enough, the church withstood all earthquakes. The original features of the church have been retained except for the windows added by Fr. Diez in 1889. In 1965, both church and convent underwent a bigger restoration on the occasion of the fourth centennial of the Christianization of the country. The face lifting was made with utmost respect for the historical character of the old structure. Cardinal Hildebrando Antoniutti, Papal Legate to the Philippines, conferred upon the church the title of Basilica minore, a special privilege granted to the Augustinian Order by the Pope Paul VI. On the other hand, the former President Ferdinand Marcos declared the Sto. Niño Basilica a national shrine because of its historical significance. In 1578, the convent was authorized to accept novices and in 1599 became a house of studies. Here Fr. Alonso de Mentrida studied and taught the Visayan language. The convent also served as an infirmary and rest house for other Augustinians working in the Visayas. This makeshift chapel built in 1565 by Herrera was gutted by fire in 1566. In 1605, Fr. Pedro Torres started a church of similar material. It was finished in 1626 but burnt after two years. Fr. Juan Medina started a church of stone in 1628. The next report we have about the church comes in 1729, it says that the church was in danger of collapsing and hand to be replaced. Demolition of the old church began in 1731, and work on a new one of brick was undertaken. However, the following year work was stopped because of the inferior quality of the brick which deteriorated quickly. On 29 February 1735, foundations for the present church was begun. Supervised by the prior of the convent, Juan de Albarran, OSA, the new church was built of coral blocks quarried from Panay and Capiz, and molave wood from Talisay and Pitalo in Cebu. The church was completed not later than 1739. This year Fr. Albarran wrote a full report on the construction of the church, which according to some historians served as a manual of church construction for other friar builders. In 1740, the image of the Santo Niño was solemnly installed in the church. The church was restored in 1782 and in 1889. Fr. Mateo Diez was responsible for the work in 1889. He had the interior and the main altar repainted, installed side altars, improved the windows, and had a marble floor laid out. The church underwent major renovation for the quadricentennial of Christianity, celebrated in 1965. Marble was laid on the floor, stained glass windows added and the interior refurbished. The side altars, the pipe organ and parts of the convento were removed. The windows placed by Diez were replaced with stained glass depicting the history of Christianity in the Philippines. In the 1980s, the sacristy suffered an electrical fire, affecting the even the retablo, but all traces of damage have been removed. Pope Paul VI raised the church to the status of basilica minore. The papal legate, Cardinal Hildebrando Antoniutti, conferred the title on the church.

Venustas Style of the Church •	Façade - a blending of Muslim, Romanesque and neo-classical features - all set in what has otherwise been described as a high degree of integration. The façade is preserved in its original stone texture and natural color, conveying an air of simplicity of line and elegance. •	Bell tower - serves as a counterbalance to the convent located on the opposite far end. It has two blind and open windows alternating in shape, ending up in triangular pinnacles with a circular disc crowned by balusters and a bulbous dome of Muslim influence. •	Center section - the focus of attention. The arched main entrance is balanced by the side rectangular corners. A double-edged triangular pediment crowns the façade.

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