PHILIPPINE CHURCHES

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 4
BASILICA DEL SANTO NIÑO
By : John Jay P Lacra
The Minor Basilica of the Holy HISTORY
Child, locally known as the Basílica
Minore del Santo Niño de Cebú and
commonly known as Santo Niño
Basilica, is a minor basilica in Cebu
City in the Philippines that was
founded in 1565 by Fray Andrés de
Urdaneta and Fray Diego de
Herrera and completed in January
16, 1740.
It is the oldest Roman Catholic
church in the country, allegedly
built on the spot where the image
of the Santo Niño de Cebú was
found during the expedition of
Miguel López de Legazpi.
The collapse of the belfry of the
Basilica Minore del Santo Niño
during the October 15, 2013 7.2
magnitude earthquake was
heartbreaking for Cebuanos and
devotees of the Holy Child.
But after dealing with the shock
caused by the collapse of the
structure, the Augustinian Order
shifted to reconstruction mode,
hopeful that the structure will be
restored.
ARCHITECTURAL
FEATURES
The architectural style of the
Basilica is a mixture of Muslim,
Romanesque, and neo-
classicism. The exterior of the
church still shows its original
stone texture. Its dome-like
ceiling is of Muslim influence.
The church has an arched main
entrance and rectangular
corners on the side.A bell tower
is situated adjacent to the
convent. A little museum can be
also seen inside the Basilica.
INTERIOR
BELL TOWER
MUSEUM
THANK YOU