Santo Niño de Cebú
| Holy Child of Cebu Santo Nino de Cebu |
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| Location | Cebu, Philippines |
| Date | April 21, 1521 |
| Witness | Ferdinand Magellan |
| Type | Wooden statue |
| Holy See approval | Pope Paul VI |
| Shrine | Basilica Minore del Santo Niño |
The Santo Niño de Cebú ("Holy Child of Cebu") is a celebrated Roman Catholic statue of the Child Jesus venerated by Filipino Roman Catholics. Claiming to be the oldest religious image in the Philippines, the statue was originally donated by Ferdinand Magellan to Rajah Humabon and his wife Humamay in 1521, along with a statue of the Our Lady of Guidance and Ecce Homo. Believed to be originally made in Belgium, it is highly similar to the Infant Jesus of Prague.
The statue is clothed in expensive textile robes and a gold crown, mostly donated from fervent devotees in the Philippines and abroad. The statue gained prominence when it miraculously survived a great parish fire in 1565. The statue is permanently housed under bulletproof glass at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu City. Its feast is celebrated every third Sunday of January. It is one of the most recognizable cultural images in the Philippines found in many secular and religious areas.
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[edit] History
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.[1] He persuaded Rajah Humabon and his wife Humamay, to pledge their allegiance with Spain. They were later baptized into the Roman Catholic faith, taking the Christian names Carlos and Juana.
Ferdinand Magellan presented the Santo Niño to the newly-baptised Queen Juana as a symbol of the alliance. To her husband Carlos, Magellan presented the bust of the "Ecce Homo", or the depiction of Christ before Pontius Pilate. He gave an image of the Virgin Mary to the natives who were later baptised with their rulers. However, Magellan died later on April 27, 1521 in the battle that took place in Mactan, leaving the image behind. After initial efforts by the natives to destroy it, as legends say, it endured and prevailed to become a pagan idol. The Cebuanos revered the image of the Santo Niño as Bathala (a animistic god of creation). Many historians consider the facial structure of the statue made from Belgium, where Infant Jesus of Prague statues were also common.
In 1980, Filipino historian Nicomedes Márquez Joaquín wrote about the 44 years after Magellan's soldiers left before the next Spanish expedition came under Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. Joaquin said that the statue was once denounced by natives as originally brought by Ferdinand Magellan, but was re-inforced again by de Legaspi which the natives continued to dispute claiming that the statue came originally from their land.
The natives refused to associate it as a gift of Ferdinand Magellan, claiming it has existed there since ancient times. Writer Dr. Resil Mojares wrote that the natives refused to claim the statue belonging to Ferdinand Magellan in 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 caught by a fisherman who chose to rid of it, only to have it returned with great plentiful harvest.
In 1565, Spanish mariner Juan de Camus found the statue in a pine box at a burned house. The image measures 30 centimeters tall, wearing a loose velvet vestment, a gilded neck chain and a woolen red hood. It is carved from wood and coated with paint. The image holds a golden ball, a replica of the world in the left hand, and the right hand is slightly raised as a gesture of blessing. Camus presented the Image to Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and the Augustinian priests. The natives refused to associate it as a gift of Ferdinand Magellan, claiming it has existed there since ancient times. Writer Dr. Resil Mojares wrote that the natives refused to claim the statue belonging to Ferdinand Magellan in 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 caught by a fisherman who chose to rid of it, only to have it returned with great 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 Cebu appointing Father Andres de Urdaneta as head superior. Legazpi installed a festivity in commemoration of the finding of the Holy Image. Although the original celebration still survives until today, Pope Innocent XIII moved the celebration to the Third Sunday of January so as not to conflict with the 40-day celebration of Easter.
The statue is dressed like royal prince with its ornate decorations, including a sash adorned with old Castilian coins and a Toison de Oro (Golden Fleece) with a ram pendant reputedly given by King Charles III in the 17th century.
The Minor Basilica of Santo Nino (Spanish: Basilica Minore del Santo Niño) was built on the spot where the image was found on April 28, 1565 by Juan de Camus. The parish 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.
[edit] Feast in Cebu
The feast locally known as Fiesta Señor starts on the Thursday after the Solemnity of the Epiphany. Each year, the celebration starts with a procession wherein the image of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu is paraded in the streets during dawn. On the last day of the novena, the images of Señor Santo Niño de Cebu, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu, and the Ecce Homo are all paraded to the National Shrine of Saint Joseph in Mandaue City for the traditional "Translacion" (Spanish: To transfer) which is finally taken to the Basilica for its final enthronement.
The Holy See approved special liturgical texts for use during the local Feast of the Santo Niño in the Philippines, set on the third Sunday of January, followed by the Sinulog festival.
[edit] Patron Saint issue
The Santo Niño was once considered the official patron saint of Cebu but the Roman Catholic Church discourages this veneration due to Jesus Christ in this representation cannot be called upon for intercession. Instead, the Archbishop of Cebu, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, declared Our Lady of Guadalupe principal patroness of Cebu in 2002.
[edit] Pious devotion
The devotion to the statue shares its worldwide veneration of the Infant Jesus of Prague. Coloquially referred to as Santo Nino, it is found in many residential homes, business establishments and public transportation. It is often found two traditional vestment colors, green for the residential home and red for places of business. It is also often found with interchangeable clothing, whereas the devotee may choose to associate their own uniform to the statue, such as physicians, nurses, janitors or teachers. Another popular form of the statue is the Santo Nino de Atocha, but varies as standing pose rather than the seated pose of the Spanish version.
One of Chicago's Polish parishes, St. Wenceslaus Roman Catholic Church, has a statue of Santo Niño de Cebú in one of its side altars.
[edit] External links
- Original Image of the Sto. Niño de Cebu
- Santo Niño Online- A blog connecting Santo Niño devotees worldwide
- New Zealand - Filipino Devotees of Señor Sto. Niño
- [1] Origin of the Image of Senor Santo Nino
- [2] Cebu Heritage Santo Nino History
[edit] References
- Sto. Nino de Cebu. http://www.malapascua.de/Cebu/Cebu_6__Santo_Nino/cebu_6__santo_nino.html
