Delighted was I when I finally had the chance to visit two of my favorite Churches in Cebu City, the historic and famous Sto. Nino Basilica and the Cebu's Metropolitan Cathedral. These two churches were built during the Spanish colonization of our country, which was also the time that Cebu City was made as the Colonial Capital of the colonizers (for less than 7 years). If you looked back at the history of Cebu City, a lot of things happened in that era of the conquest of the Spanish, but one of the magnificent things that happened (for me) was the construction of these two churches.
These two churches not just brought the faith of the Cebuanos but also attracted a lot of tourists because of their rich history and unique structure. The churches have become famous and have improved over time. Today I’m taking you on a short trip to my city’s remarkable churches, two of the earliest churches in the country -The Sto. Nino Basilica and Cebu's Cathedral. So Taraaa!
The first stop is the Sto. Nino Minor Basilica.
At first glance, you will think that you are about to enter a Park because of the crowd walking here and there and the vendors selling colorful balloons. Everything looks so lively and vibrant especially since all the candle vendors wear yellow and red skirts (The Saint's color).
The stone walls.
Looking around the structure and the materials of how the building was built have never failed to amaze me. I do this every time I visit the church but I always ended up left in awe. All the walls are made of stone. The old-style brown windows, some with iron bars and others have railings in front of it speak of ancient times. Unfortunately, the beautiful facade of the church was covered with blue tarpaulin for ongoing renovation. The front part of the church was damaged due to an earthquake.
Now, let's get inside!
Hallway-Museums.
As we entered the Basilica on the left is a hallway that looks like a museum. On the walls are different beautiful paintings depicting the history of how Christianity arrived in our country.
Some paintings were pictures of the first friars of the Church and some of the paintings were stories of how Magellan landed in Cebu and brought the image of Sto. Nino.
Indoor garden
If you go outside the hallway, you will see an indoor small garden with a fountain in the middle. This is where people take a rest, and take some photos with their friends and families. This part of the church is a great place to relax.
Look at that rectangular door. All doors are shaped like that.
The ceiling.
Aside from the old stone walls, what made this church a magnificent one are the beautifully decorated, gold altars. The chandeliers and the intricate design on the ceiling highlighting the lovely paintings is just so stunning!
I spend an hour sitting there feeling the holiness of the place before I head outside.
Candles and Sculpture
Outside the church is an area for everyone who wants to light candles and pray. There is also a fountain in the middle of it, but what is catchy in this part of the church are the sculptures on the walls. The sculptures are stories of how Christianity started in the country.
Our next stop is Cebu's Metropolitan Cathedral. These two churches are just a hundred steps apart. So it's easy for the tourist to explore this historic church.
Cebu Cathedral is also one of the earliest churches in Cebu and the country. It has also a flat structure but its walls are made of stone. It looks so simple but as you observe closely, you can see the beautiful carvings above the entrance and some Logo at the top of the arc-shaped door.
In front of the church, at the entrance are two statues of an animal which I don't what specifically. The other one has a mouth wide open while on the right looks a little shy. What do you think those animals are?
Another beautiful structure in the Cathedral which keeps me wondering is the Huge Pillars outside of the church. Those old structure made of stones comes in pair. I guess these are the old parts of the church or they were just pure designs there. What do you think?
Those are two of the remarkable churches in my city. Whenever I go to the City I always spend time visiting these churches to see these stunning and historic architecture and also to see once more the history of religion in my country.
That's all guys for today's tour. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for reading. May you all be safe and well always.
Warm smiles from @callmesmile. 🤗