Cebu Magellan’s Cross
Magellan’s Cross is a Christian Cross planted by Portuguese and Spanish Explorers as ordered by Ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu in the Philippines on April 21, 1521. It is mainly located in a street aptly name for the first Portuguese to set foot in Cebu, Magallanes. He planted a cross to signify this important event about the propagation of the Roman Catholic faith in what is now Cebu, in central Philippines. The original cross is reputedly encased in another wooden cross for protection, as people started chipping it away in the belief that it had miraculous healing powers.
This prompted the government officials to encase it in tindalo wood and secured it inside a small chapel called “kiosk.” Some say, however, that the original cross was actually destroyed. The Magellan cross displayed here is said to be a replica of such cross. It is housed in a small chapel located in front of the present city hall of Cebu, along Magallanes Street (named in honor of Magellan).
Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to come to the Philippines in 1521. Also known as Fernao Magalhaes or Fernando Magallanes, he was a Portuguese navigator working for the King of Spain in search of the Spice Islands (now part of Indonesia, known as Maluku or Moluccas islands). When he and his crews landed on Cebu Island, a native chief, Rajah Humabon, met and befriended him. Rajah Humabon, his wife and hundreds of his native warriors agreed to accept Christianity and were consequently baptized.
Unfortunately, Magellan met his death under the hands of another Visayan chief, Lapu-Lapu, when he went to the nearby island of Mactan. Mactan is also part of today’s Metropolitan Cebu. There, both the statues of Magellan and Lapu-Lapu proudly stand to commemorate the tragic meeting of east and west in this part of the world.
It is not difficult to find the vicinity. From anywhere in Cebu, the easiest is to take a taxi. You may also ask the locals which jeepney will pass near the area. Jeepneys in Cebu are coded with a number and letter combination depending on the route. The locals would guide you about those jeepney numbers. But as you may have difficulty familiarizing those codes, the simpler way is for you to just read the route written on the sides. You are sure to reach your destination if you find “Magallanes” written on it.
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