From the Basilica del Sto. Nino, Grace and I walked over to the nearby octagonal kiosk of wood, adobe and red brick tiles, built in 1845, that houses Magellan’s Cross in the center. Inside this kiosk are the remains of the original cross which was encased in hollow, black tindalo wood to protect the original cross from people who chipped away parts of the cross, believing that it possesses miraculous powers.
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| Grace besides Magellan’s Cross |
However, some people believe that the original cross had been destroyed or disappeared after Ferdinand Magellan’s death in Mactan and that the cross we saw there was a replica planted there by the Spaniards after the successful colonization of the country.
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| Ceiling paintings at the kiosk |
At the kiosk’s ceiling are paintings depicting the events of Magellan’s visit – the baptism of Rajah Humabon and 800 of his followers by Fr. Pedro Valderrama and the first Catholic mass in Cebu.
Magellan’s Cross: Plaza Sta. Cruz, Magallanes St., Cebu City 6000, Cebu