Magellan’s Cross in Cebu City – Philippines

If you ever happened to Cebu, you must never leave without visiting Magellan’s Cross. It is Cebu’s most heralded, most popular tourist spot with a very rich history underneath.

How important is Magellan’s Cross? It has long been used as a symbol of Cebu. In fact, its image is also in the Cebu City seal. The Cebu government hails it as the city’s most important historical landmark. It has, in fact, well blended to the development of the city. It is also continuously going through renovations after renovations in an attempt to preserve the landmark best.

Location and How to Get There

Magellan’s Cross in Cebu City is very accessible. It can be found in the small chapel along Magallanes Street, right next to the ever-famous Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, in front of the old Cebu City municipal hall building. It is very near the port area.

To get to Magellan’s Cross, the easiest way is to hire a taxi. The driver would surely know where it is and its cost depend on where you are coming from. But if you are of the adventurous kind, you can take the public transport route. Any public utility jeepney that has a signboard revealing City Hall or Basilica will take you there.

What to See There

The Magellan’s Cross is enclosed in a small shrine. You can enter the chapel for free, pray inside, light a candle, and read through history. It is quite very accessible and is free of charge so you do not have any reason not to take a peek. For one, it will help you travel through time, to better understand how Cebu and the Philippines in general, has grown in Christian faith.

History

The Magellan’s Cross is basically a wooden Christian cross that was planted by none other than Ferdinand Magellan in 8th of April, 1521. It was to symbolize the onset of Roman Catholicism not just in Cebu but in the whole Philippines as well.

In an inscription just below the tindalo cross, it is said that the original one has been encased inside the wooden structure. The original cross has been kept to protect it from those visitors who want to chip away a part, believing that it is miraculous. That’s why the one you will find erected in the middle of the small chapel is merely a duplicate. That’s also the reason it is now enclosed in a small shrine when it used to be in an open space. But just the same, Magellan’s Cross exudes the historical past that brought it into the town in the first place.

Cost

Entering the Magellan’s Cross is free of charge.