Magellan Shrine

The Magellan Shrine is a large memorial tower erected in 1866 in honor of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan on the Mactan Island of Cebu, the Philippines. The spot is believed to be the site where Magellan was killed in the 1521 Battle of Mactan.HistoryFerdinand Magellan, the Portuguese navigator, first came to the southern Philippines to the small island of Limasawa on 7 April 1521. He was the first European to set foot in the Philippines. Due to inadequate food supplies, he was forced to land at Cebu. Landing in Cebu with a show of heavy arms, he refused to pay any fee for entering the port. He even threatened Raja Humabon, the local ruler, and boasted about his victories in Malaca and Calicut. He then offered them gifts and befriended them. The Rajah, who welcomed Magellan to the island, wanted to hold a casi casi, a blood-brother ceremony. Magellan then started converting the native people to Christianity. He converted 800 people of the barangay (villages). Before conversion, the natives worshipped their own main god whom they addressed as Bathala, along with other subordinate gods. The natives who lived in small barangays were controlled by local chieftains called Rajas. During the baptisms, Magellan planted a cross at the site. The natives accepted the Catholic belief that "there is only one God". Magellan was able to convert most of the powerful leaders of the islands, except one leader called Lapu-Lapu.