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MAGELLAN'S CROSS
Magellan's Cross is a large Christian cross planted by Portuguese and Spanish explorers as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu in the Philippines in 1521.The cross is housed in a small chapel next to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niņo on Magallanes Street, just in front of the city hall of Cebu City. A sign outside claims that the original cross is encased inside the wooden cross that is found in the center of this chapel. This is to protect the original cross from people who chipped away parts of the cross for sourvenir purposes or in the belief that the cross possesses miraculous powers. Some people, however, believe that the original cross had been destroyed or had disappeared after Magellan's death, and the cross is a replica that was planted there by the Spaniards after they successfully colonized the Philippines.
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese maritime explorer who, at the service of Spain, led the first successful attempt to sail around the entire Earth. He did not complete his final voyage; he was killed during the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines. He did, however, die farther west than the Spice Islands, which he had visited on earlier voyages, making him one of the first individuals to cross all the meridians of the globe. He became the first person to lead an expedition sailing westward from Europe to Asia and to cross the Pacific Ocean.
Magellan's Cross is a symbol of Cebu City and the chapel's image can be found in its city seal. It is also seen as the symbol of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines.
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