As far as I am concerned Cebu and Magellan go together like bacon and eggs. So when I got the opportunity to visit Cebu again, I was finally going to see Magellan’s Cross.
Yup, no more pictures in newspapers or on the internet, this time I would be able to see it up close and personal.
Table of Contents
Background
Magellan reached Cebu on March 16, 1521 and befriended Rajah Humabon who happened to be the ruler of Sugbu, which was what Cebu was called at the time. After a while, Rajah Humabon, his wife, children, and some 800 of his subjects were baptized, which could well be the beginning of Christianity in the Philippines.
Other than presenting the Santo Niño to the Queen of Cebu, Magellan erected a cross on the shores of Cebu on April 21, 1521. It is said that part of this cross remains encased in the current cross made of Tindalo wood.
Imagination of Then
A marble marker states that the cross still stands on its original site. Centuries ago, the site would have been totally different from the concrete buildings and paved roads surrounding it today.
For a split second, you might imagine yourself in a small open field covered in grass. In the near distance there would be a thick growth of trees several meters around you, with birds chirping, as if angry that people have intruded in to their territory.
Marker
There would be a group of Spaniards and Filipinos gathered around a place cleared of grass. Hitched to a row of trees behind these people are horses of various sizes and color. Their reins would be long enough to allow them to graze on the thick grass without straying away too far.
[Shh… cálmate…]
And in the center of the clearing would be several men busily erecting a dark wooden cross. Both groups would be speaking in vastly different language, both groups being mindful of the volume of their words and their mannerisms.
And when the cross was finally raised and the last mound of soil shoveled in to the hole, a silent reverence would hush everyone. Magellan would speak in clear Spanish and an interpreter would translate it for the Filipinos to understand.
And at the end of it all, a feast would most likely have taken place nearby, with quite a bit of food and drinks being passed around.
Reality of Now
But after a loud car horn brings you back to the present, you find yourself in a site so different from what you experienced earlier.
Today, the cross is housed in a concrete chapel to protect it from all but the worst elements. It has a domed ceiling siting on arches forming a circle. Underneath those arches are wrought iron bars that keep the wrong people out but allows the air to pass through.
Shrine
Quite frankly, it wasn’t what I expected as the cross is in the middle of one of the busiest places in Cebu.
[I doubt Magellan would have imagined it to change like this.]
A few meters away is the Basilica del Santo that is said to house the Santo Niño that was presented to Rajah Humabon over five centuries ago. Looking around you will also see government buildings, like the City Hall of Cebu opposite the Basilica.
And while candle vendors may inundate you with their sales pitches, your ignoring them will allow you to go back in time once more. Perhaps not to the 1500s at the mural above didn’t exist back then. But then, you may be transported to a time much, much simpler than today.
A time when car horns did not exist and all you heard was the clip-clopping of horse and Carabao hooves. I’m talking about 1941, which is the date stamped at the bottom of the marker on the gate.
Impression
From pictures, I always expected the ceiling to be made of stained glass. But when I finally saw the ceiling I was surprised to see that it was a painted mural instead. I should have guessed that from the outside, but then I was a bit too excited to observe such a thing.
From some of the pictures I have seen, I always thought that the sun was streaming down through glass. But it turns out that the lighting was actually the result of florescent lights recessed at the base of the dome. When switched on, they bounce off the colors of the dome to bathe people in a slightly blue light.
Ceiling
The chapel was also a bit smaller than I thought it to be. That’s what I get for not looking at it over the internet. I was thinking it would have a higher ceiling, like the basilica in Rome. But when I entered the chapel, it was a more modest two and a half stories high from the inside.
There were a few pushy vendors hawking candles, but when they saw we were just there to see the sights, they left us alone to our picture taking.
Which brings me to my disappointment: My lens could not capture the whole ceiling!
[Argh!]
I flew all the way from Manila to finally see Magellan’s Cross with the intention of capturing the entire ceiling and my camera just couldn’t do it.
To give you an idea, I was on my knees cradling the camera in my hands with the lens at its widest angle and all I got was a partial shot. Talk about a major disappointment!
And while I could have tried to get several shots, hoping to stitch them all together, I just didn’t have the heart for it anymore.
[Bummer.]
Final Thoughts
Well, instead of dwelling on my disappointment, I just took a moment to savor the simple sight above me. And while my camera cannot record what I see in its memory card, I get to commit the whole thing the memory in my mind.
If you happen to be in Cebu, try dropping by Magellan’s Cross. It’s a simple sight that has survived over five hundred years of history.
Oh, and imagining how it all began isn’t too bad either.
Till the next time, keep your appetites up, camera batteries fully charged, and your memory free because you may need them for the next place you visit!
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