The Santo Niño de Cebú (Spanish: Holy Child of Cebu/Batang Banal ng Cebu

in Filipino) is a Roman Catholic title of Jesus Christ associated with a

religious vested statue of the infant Child Jesus venerated by many Filipino
Catholics who believe it to be miraculous. It is the oldest religious Christian image in
the Philippines, and was originally given in 1521 as a baptismal gift by Portuguese
explorer Ferdinand Magellan via Antonio Pigafetta, who physically handed it to Lady
Humamay, the chief consort ofRajah Humabon, along with a statue of the Our Lady of
Guidance and a Cross.
The image merited a Papal recognition on 28 April 1965 when Pope Paul VI issued a
papal bull for the Canonical Coronation and Pontifical High Mass via the papal legate to
the Philippines, Cardinal Ildebrando Antoniutti who concelebrated it's 400th centennial
anniversary. [1][2][3]
The image measures approximately twelve inches tall, and is believed to be originally
made in Flanders, Belgium. The statue is clothed in valuable textiles, and bears
an imperial regalia that includes a gold biretta crown, globus cruciger, and various
sceptres mostly donated from devotees in the Philippines and abroad.
The Santo Niño image is replicated in many homes and business establishments, with
different titles reinterpreted in various areas of the country. The Holy Child's feast is
liturgically celebrated every third Sunday of January, during which devotees carry a
portable Santo Niño image onto the street fiesta dancing celebrations. The image is one
of the most beloved and recognizable cultural icons in the Philippines, found in both
religious and secular areas. It is permanently encased within bulletproof glass in a
chapel at the Basílica Menor del Santo Niño.

History
The image of the Santo Niño is kept in the Santo Nino Chapel of the Basilica Minore del
Santo Niño de Cebu. It is considered the oldest religious relic in the Philippines. [4]
In April 1521, Ferdinand Magellan, in the service of Charles V of Spain, arrived in Cebu
during his voyage to find a westward route to the Indies.[5] He persuaded Rajah
Humabon and his chief wife Humaway, to pledge their allegiance to Spain. They were
later baptised into the Catholic faith, taking the Christian names Carlos (after Charles V)
and Juana (after Joanna of Castile, his mother).
According to Antonio Pigafetta, Italian chronicler to the Spanish expedition, Ferdinand
Magellan handed Pigafetta the image to be given to the Rajah's wife right after
thebaptismal rite officiated by Padre Pedro Valderrama.[5] It was Pigafetta himself who
personally presented the Santo Niño to the newly baptised Queen Juana as a symbol of
their new alliance, her newly baptized husband King Carlos, Magellan presented the
bust of "Ecce Homo", or the depiction of Christ before Pontius Pilate. He also presented
an image of the Virgin Mary to the natives who were baptised after their rulers. Magellan
died on 27 April 1521 in the Battle of Mactan. Legends say that after initial efforts by the
natives to destroy it, the image was venerated as the animist creator deity Bathala.[citation
needed] Many historians consider the facial structure of the statue made from Belgium,

where Infant Jesus of Prague statues were also common.

44 years after Magellan's soldiers left, the next Spanish expedition arrived on April 27,
1565, led by Miguel López de Legazpi. He found the natives hostile, fearing retribution
for Magellan's death, and the village caught fire in the ensuing conflict. The next day,
the Spanish mariner Juan Camus found the image of the Santo Niño in a pine box
amidst the ruins of a burnt house.[4] The image, carved from wood and coated with
paint, stood 30 centimetres tall, and wore a loose velvet garment, a gilded neck chain
and a red woolen hood. A golden globus cruciger or orb was in the left hand, with the
right hand slightly raised in benediction. Camus presented the image to Miguel López
de Legazpi and the Augustinian priests; the natives refused to associate it with the gift
of Magellan, claiming it had existed there since ancient times. Writer Dr. Resil Mojares
wrote that the natives did so for fear that the Spaniards would demand it back. The
natives’ version of the origin of the Santo Niño is in the Agipo (stump or driftwood)
legend, which states that the statue was caught by a fisherman who chose to get rid of
it, only to have it returned with a plentiful harvest.
The statue was later taken out for procession, afterwards which Legazpi then ordered
the creation of the Confraternity of the Santo Niño de Cebú, appointing Father Andrés
de Urdaneta as head superior. Legazpi instituted a fiesta to commemorate the finding of
the image, and the original celebration still survives.
The Minor Basilica of Santo Niño (Spanish: Basílica Minore del Santo Niño) was built on
the spot where the image was found by Juan Camus. The church was originally made
out of bamboo and mangrove palm and claims to be the oldest parish in
the Philippines. Pope Paul VI elevated its rank as Minor Basilica on its 400th year
anniversary.

Feast[edit]

Devotees flock to the Basílica Minore del Santo Niño during the novena masses.

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 Cebu 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
Cebu is brought down from its shrine to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu.
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 Cebu are brought to the National
Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City to reunite the church's namesake, forming
the Holy Family. This transfer, which is common in fiestas throughout the country, is
called Traslación.
On the morning of the vesperas ("eve", i.e., the day before) of the feast, the images
of Santo Niño de Cebu and Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu are brought back
to Cebu City through a fluvial procession, and upon reaching the Basilica, a
reenactment of the first mass and baptism is held. It is then followed by a grand solemn
foot procession on the afternoon of the same day. After the procession, a solemn
Pontifical Mass is concelebrated by bishops and priests. It is then followed by the
grand Sinulog Festival on the following Sunday. The feast officially ends on Friday after
the Sinulog Festival by the traditional Hubo (Cebuano, "undress") rite in which the
image of Santo Niño de Cebu is stripped of its grand ceremonial vestments, bathed in
water laced with perfume and redressed in a simple robe. This rite is done in front of the
public.