Santo Niño de Cebú
Sto. Nino Basilica is Cebu’s holiest church. It is also the oldest Roman Catholic church (1565) in the Philippines. It managed to conquer earthquakes and lived through 3 fires. There is a little statue of Jesus that dated back to Magellan’s time (An important Portuguese explorer in the Philippines. Magellan was thought to be the person who spread the word of Christianity in the Philippines) and people think that the little statue is miraculous. Maybe thats the reason why the church has been standing all these time and endured all those hardships. It is beautiful inside and out.
There is this traditional belief in the Philippines where if you visit a church for the first time you can make a wish. When I visited the Sto. Nino church I did make a wish and my wish came true. She’s this little curly haired big eyed baby girl that resembled the face of the Sto. Nino. It’s amazing right? Also there are a lot of churches in the Philippines. You can go on a wishing spree.
Sto. Nino church is busiest during Sinulog and you can read about that here
There is also another church in the Philippines that is miraculous which is the Simala Church and I wrote a post about it here.
How to get to Santo Niño
1. Taking a Jeepnew or Jeeps to sto.nino
It costs 8₱ to ride a jeep in Cebu City. From Fuente Osmena the ride is about 15 minutes long depending on traffic. Also make sure to leave important valuables in a safe box back in the hotel.
2.taking a Taxi to sto nino
Taking a taxi from SM City Cebu going to Santo Niño is around 100-150₱ (4$)
3. Walking to sto nino
If you are already in colon then you are not that far from Santo Nino. Make sure to bring an umbrella because it does get super hot.
What to do when you get in Santo Nino
1. When you enter they have big orange and red umbrellas ready for you to use. You do have to give it back before you leave.
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2. Pray at the red candles praying area
Use the red candle for prayers. There is a donation box in each corner for those that will get a candle.
This cement carved of Santo Niño>>>>
is always overlooked. When I posted photos of these locals didn’t even know that it existed.
3. Enjoy the structures and paintings inside the church.
For special occasions the church would hold masses outside to ensure that all or most visitors would be able to attend the mass.
4. Buy some Balloons
Kids problems solved. Also a great thing to have if you don’t want to lose them. Balloons are not allowed inside the church.
5. Visit Magellan’s Cross
It would be awesome if you can pin this image below :). Pin it button is on the left upper right hand corner of the image. Thank you so much!
