Cebu City is a bustling metropolis of history, heritage, and culture. A great way to explore the city’s diverse attractions and landmarks is to visit the museums. From ancient artifacts to modern wonders, there are many places to visit.

by MINERVA BC NEWMAN

Fort San Pedro A good starting point would be this historical landmark beside Plaza Independencia in downtown. The well-preserved citadel includes displays showing Colegios Mayores (College Houses) built during the time of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, who was the first of Spain’s Capitan General in the Philippines in 1565. You’ll also learn how battles were fought inside its walls, making it worthy of becoming part of the UNESCO World Heritage Cities list in 2017. A monument of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi stands around the Plaza.

The original fort was made with wooden logs and built after the arrival of Legazpi and his expedition. In early 17th century, the wood structure was replaced with stone walls that were 8 feet thick and stood 20 feet high. The fort structure dates from 1738 and is the country’s oldest triangular bastion fort with one side that faced the town and two of its sides facing the sea to repel Muslim raiders. It served as the nucleus for the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. During the Philippine Revolution at the end of the 19th century, it was attacked and taken by Filipino revolutionaries, who used it as a stronghold.

Malacañang of the South is an easy walk from Fort San Pedro to this impressive colonial building called Malacañang of the South. It was popularly known as the Aduana, built in 1910 to house the Bureau of Customs in the Port of Cebu. Facing the coast, this building has been in constant repair from typhoons. During the presidency of Gloria Arroyo, it was envisioned as a villa for her to stay and entertain during her visits to the city, thus the name Malacañang of the South, after the principal presidential residence Malacañang Palace in Manila.

After much renovation, the building sustained damage from a strong typhoon, and to this day, it remains unused. Repair and renovation works are underway to convert it to be the National Museum of the Philippines-Cebu which is expected to open within the second half of this year. The building was designed by William E. Parsons, the architect of most of the American edifices as assigned by then Governor Daniel H. Burnham during the American period in the Philippines (1899 to 1945).

The Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu is a fine example of the balay na bato and houses many ecclesiastical artifacts. It is also called the Cathedral Museum of Cebu, formally opened in November 2006. It is still within walking distance from the old downtown attractions, next to the  ebu Metropolitan Cathedral, and close to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño. The  cclesiastical Museum of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu focuses on regional Church architecture and artifacts; many displayed items are from the Spanish colonial times. The Cathedral Museum was previously the residence of the priests serving the cathedral, one of the structures dating back from the 19th century that survived the ravages of war and natural calamities.

Inside the museum is a chapel that has become an exhibition area for the Carmen collection from the parish of Carmen in northern Cebu, which consists of a tabernacle, chalices, and altar panels made of wood encased in etched silver. The memorial chapel is also used for special exhibitions.

The galleries on the museum’s upper floors exhibit a collection of statues of saints, priestly vestments and other ecclesiastical accouterments.

Photographs showing how churches were constructed during the Spanish era, as well as the actual building materials used, are also put on display. Another gallery is dedicated for memorabilia of Cardinal Ricardo Vidal including his prayer books, notebooks and a sample ballot used in the election of a pope.

The cardinal’s ring given to him by his predecessor, Cardinal Julio Rosales, and the vestments used during his Episcopal ordination to the cardinalate are part of the exhibit. One gallery is a sample bedroom of a priest. Among his memorabilia are prayer books, notebooks, a sample ballot used in the election of a pope, a cardinal’s ring given to him by his predecessor, Cardinal Julio Rosales, and the vestments he used during his Episcopal ordination, his elevation to the cardinalate.

Gallery three shows how churches were constructed in the Spanish era and show photographs as well as actual building materials used. The fourth gallery is a gathering of Saints, exhibiting a collection of statues of saints from various parishes, including one of St. Joseph on his deathbed.

The fifth gallery displays chalices and ciborium, priestly vestments, and other accouterments of  he liturgy of the Mass and the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. Finally, the sixth gallery is a sample bedroom of a priest. 

The Basilica Minore del Santo Niño Church and Museum Nearby is another impressive church, the Basilica Minore Del Sto. Niño the oldest Catholic Church in Cebu that houses the image of the Sto. Niño, Cebu City’s patron saint. While being a place for prayer and pilgrimage for many, Sto. Niño devotees come to pay homage to the image encased behind bulletproof glass, especially during the Sinulog festival in January.

The museum was established in 1965 by Fr. Ambrosio Galindez, O.S.A., in commemoration of the Fourth Centennial of the Christianization of the Philippines. At that time, it was located in one of the rooms in the convent. The museum was finally given a better space in the basement of the Pilgrims Center. It contained numerous items dating back to the 17th century such as old church documents, antique church furniture and vessels, relics and statues of different saints, priestly vestments and old vestments of the Sto.Niño. Casa Gorordo Museum was a declared historical landmark by the National Historical Institute Board in 1991. The museum offers a glimpse of the Spanish colonial era and is located at Lopez Jaena Street, Cebu City. It is a two-story house following the traditional bahay na bato architecture, a typical Filipino home in the 19th century. It houses many artifacts like furniture and clocks, painting, and everyday household items reflecting the lifestyle of Cebuanos during the period from the 1860s to 1920.

Casa Gorordo Museum was built in 1850 by Alejandro Reynes Rosales. In 1863, Juan Isidro Gorordo, a Spanish merchant, bought it. Since then, four generations of the Gorordo family, one of the wealthy clans in the city, have stayed in this home until 1979. It was well known as the home of the first Filipino Archbishop of Cebu, Juan Gorordo(1862-1934). It was acquired by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) in 1980, and has now been converted into an interactive museum. The National Historical Institute Board declared it a historical landmark in 1991. 

Museo Sugbo or Sugbo Museum is operated by the Cebu Provincial Museum in the former Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), four blocks from Plaza Independencia.

Museo Sugbo is housed in what was once called Cárcel de Cebú, or the provincial jail of Cebu. Designed in 1869 by Domingo de Escondrillas, the lone architect in Cebu then, the Cárcel de Cebú was initially proposed as the Cárcel del Distrito, the central prison for the Visayas District. This accounts for its relatively large size to accommodate many prisoners. Construction began around 1871. It is believed that most coral stone blocks from the Parian church, demolished in 1878, were used to build parts of the cárcel. After twenty years of use, a renovation was ordered in 1892, adding more buildings behind the main structure that now serves as the museum’s six galleries. 

The University of San Carlos Museum is also located downtown, at what is popularly referred to as USC Main on P. Del Rosario Street. The museum started at the old Seminario Colegio de San Carlos at the original campus beside Plaza Independencia, where a museum with cabinets of curiosities was inaugurated in 1908. Unfortunately, this was destroyed with its precious collection during the American liberation bombings in 1945.

By 1952, the growing collection of excavated ceramics, rare and exotic flora and fauna, historical, ecclesiastical and ethnographic objects were carefully studied, catalogued and exhibited. 

The USC Museum was formally inaugurated on April 23, 1967 and presently has five indoor galleries, one open gallery and one hallway exhibit area. It also collaborates with the Department of Biology which maintains the Entomological Collection and the Marine Biology Collection, both of which are located on the 3rd floor of the Josef Baumgartner Learning Resource Center at the university’s Talamban Campus. The museum had three exhibition galleries when it was inaugurated in 1967. It has grown into five indoor galleries, one open gallery, and one hallway exhibit area, all added during the presidency of Fr. Dionisio M. Miranda, SVD, in 2012. The three original galleries, Biodiversity,

Archaeology, and Ethnography, are still in the south wing. In addition, the Open Gallery, used for temporary and special exhibitions, and the hallway, where one finds the USC Institutional History Exhibition, are also located in the south wing. The north wing is dedicated to the Rosita R. Arenas collections, currently on long- term loan, hosting two exhibitions, Bahandi: The Rosita R. Arcenas Collection of Chinese and Southeast Asian Ceramics, and, Handumanan: The Rosita R. Arcenas Collection of Bisaya Santos (saints).

The Open Gallery currently hosts a special exhibition entitled “Iro-e: The Beauty of Japanese Polychrome Imari, Late Edo to Late Showa, the 1780s-1980s,” which features nearly 200 pieces of Japanese polychrome porcelain wares from the Museum’sMuseum’s collection as well as the collections of Ferdinand Azcarraga and Radcliff Estrada.

The University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Rizaliana Museum holds the largest memorabilia collection of Dr. Jose Rizal outside of Luzon. The Rizal family is related by affinity to the founders of the University of Southern Philippines Foundation, Agustin and Beatriz Jereza.

Through this family connection the university acquired Rizal’s personal belongings which were donated to them by the sisters of the late Philippine hero.

Among the items on exhibit at the Rizaliana Museum are articles of his clothing, sketches of his sisters, family photographs, love letters to his sweetheart, Josephine Bracken, letters to friends and colleagues, and the original Katipunan flag. 

The Rizal Memorial Library and Museum, another classic example of American colonial architecture loosely based on the buildings of Washington DC, was designed by Architect Juan Marcos Arellano and was inaugurated on December 30, 1939. Dedicated to national hero Jose Rizal, it features an iconic sculpture of him with an open book on his lap, flanked by two young children. It is located at the heart of Osmeña Boulevard, near the Cebu Capitol Building on a lot donated by the provincial government for this project. It houses an array of rare books, archaeological discoveries, and a theater for cultural and art performances. The street level of the museum is a public library open seven days a week.