Magellan’s Cross : Cebu’s Most Photographed Heritage Site

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Text and Photos by : Melo Villareal

If you will be traveling to Cebu, your trip will not be complete without visiting the Magellan’s Cross. Inside the shrine, you will find the wooden cross which was planted by Portuguese and Spanish explorers as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu in the Philippines on April 21, 1521.

The cross was planted when Magellan baptised the first Christian Filipinos, Rajah Humabon and Queen Juana and about 400 followers into the Catholic faith. The original cross is reputedly encased in another dark wooden cross made of tindalo wood for protection, as people started chipping it away in the belief that it had miraculous healing powers. Some say, however, that the cross inside the chapel is no longer authentic and just a replica of the historic cross.

Inside the small chapel, you will find a beautifull Ceiling Mural with a scene depicting the landing of Magellan in Cebu, the first mass and the planting of the original cross on the shore.

Within the vicinity of this popular historical landmark, you can find Cebu guitar vendors, few shellcraft / woodcraft souvenirs and candle vendors.

I was a little bit annoyed with the presence of beggars and street childrens in the area since most of them are irritantingly begging for money which can cause negative experience for most foreign and local tourists.

Nina Fuentes of Justwandering.org inside the Magellan’s Shrine

How to get there :

This popular landmark is located next to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño on Magallanes (spanish translation for Magellan) Street. Magellan’s Cross is right in front of the old Cebu City Hall building near the port area in downtown Cebu.