Basilica Minore del Santo Niño

This holiest of churches is a real survivor. Built in 1565 and burnt down three times, it was rebuilt in its present form in 1737. Perhaps it owes its incendiary past to the perennial bonfire of candles in its courtyard, stoked by an endless procession of pilgrims and other worshippers. The object of their veneration is a Flemish image of the infant Jesus, sequestered in a chapel to the left of the altar.

It dates back to Magellan's time and is said to be miraculous (which it probably had to be to survive all those fires). Don't forget to look up and admire the heavenly ceiling murals while you're here. Every year, the image is the centrepiece of Cebu's largest annual event, the Sinulog festiva.