Magellan's Cross Pavilion is a stone kiosk in Cebu City,

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. The structure is situated on Plaza Sugbo beside the Basilica del Santo Niño It houses a Christian cross that was planted by explorers of the Spanish expedition of the first

circumnavigation Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magel ...

of the world, led by

Ferdinand Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the Eas ...

, upon arriving in

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and ...

in the

on April 21, 1521. Along with the Basilica del Santo Niño's church and convent buildings, the pavilion is a declared National Cultural Treasure of the Philippines.

Background

Pavilion

Allan Jay Quesada - Magellan's Cross DSC 0766

The Magellan's Cross Pavilion which houses the tindalo cross was built sometime in the 1800s. The structure is octagonal

kiosk Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist i ...

made of coral stone. The pavilion and the tindalo cross itself sustained cracks due to the 2013 Bohol earthquake. The original cross was also found to have deteriorated due to termites in 2015. The pavilion was closed for renovations and was reopened in March 2016. On the ceiling of the pavilion's interior, is a mural depicting the baptism of Rajah Humabon and his household by Fr. Pedro Valderrama and the planting of a wooden cross by

. The artwork was done by Jess Roa and Serry M. Josol.

Cross

The Magellan's Cross could refer to the original wooden cross planted by explorers of the Spanish expedition of the first

of the world, led by

, upon arriving in

in the

on April 21, 1521. The original cross was encased inside another wooden cross made of

tindalo ''Afzelia rhomboidea'' is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the proce ...

wood in 1835. This is to protect the original cross from people who chipped away parts of the cross who believe that the cross possesses miraculous powers. Some people, however, believe that the original cross has been destroyed. The cross was named as the "2021 Jubilee Cross" as part of the

2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines The 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (2021 QCP) is a series of observances organized to mark the 500th anniversary of various events in the Philippines, notably the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines, the role of ...

Designation

The pavilion along with the Basilica del Santo Niño Church and Convent were collectively declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines on April 14, 2021.

References

{{Cebu City Catholic Church in the Philippines History of the Philippines (1565–1898) Landmarks in the Philippines Buildings and structures in Cebu City Tourist attractions in Cebu City Memorial crosses