Monthly Archives: December 2021

Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary (Baras, Rizal)

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Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Joseph Complez

The Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary, located on a low mound just off the main highway, a short distance from  Baras Municipal Hall, enshrines the miraculous image of San Jose de Baras and is known to be the oldest parish dedicated to St. Joseph in the Southern Tagalog mainland.

The church’s Baroque facade

Approached by a flight of 11 steps, it was first built by the Franciscan missionaries in 1595 (at the town’s old site in what is now Boso-Boso in Antipolo, with St. James as its patron).

Plaque installed by the Philippine Historical Committee in 1939

In 1636, it was transferred by the Jesuits, to Ibayo, located one and one-half leagues (about 7.24 kms.) southeast of the first site, to escape the hostilities of the Aeta inhabitants in the area who burned the town and the church in 1635.  The church, dedicated to Christ the Savior, was also affected by hostilities, this time when Chinese rebels, in 1639, burned the church as well as other churches in neighboring towns.

The church interior

In 1682, the town was returned to the present site by the Franciscan and the present adobe church was built here from 1682 to 1686, with the church now dedicated to St. Joseph as its patron. In the 1960s, the church ceiling was removed during a renovation, exposing the rough wood beams supporting the ceiling.

The exposed wooden trusses

Tiles used for the restoration of the floor were taken from ruined structures in Intramuros. Renovations to the structure have also been done in the 2000s.  On December 7, 2021, the church was elevated as a diocesan shrine, the 9th declared as such in the Antipolo Diocese.

The church’s pulpit

The church’s simple, two-level façade is a mixture of fortress-style and barn-style Baroque architecture. The façade’s dark, simple, coarse and sparse qualities, typical of Franciscan mission churches built during the 16th century, is given a decorative touch mainly through the stream of balustrade trimming its triangular pediment, as well as the checkerboard pattern of brick and stone on the pediment’s upper portion, which indicates an addition to the original and much lower stone pediment.

Windows are limited to the facade and one side of the church and the sanctuary is divided from the nave by an arch. As the structure has not been plastered, the dark adobe bricks on which the church was made are exposed. The convent is located on the left side of the church.

The church convent

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The four-storey, hexagonal bell tower, on the church’s right, has a square base and has semicircular arch blind and open recesses.  It is topped by a balustrade and a dome.

The simple but well preserved interiors revealed the exposed wooden trusses that support the church’s roofing, lacking a ceiling that is usually seen in churches. The altar and lectern are stone artifacts unearthed beneath the church during the 1960s renovation.

The altar retablo

The altar, divided into stories, appears to have been intended to be a stone sarcophagus. The main altar and the two side altars are both in the Plateresque style.  The image of San Jose de Baras is believed to have been made after the completion of the Church in 1686.

The convent interior

Old church photos

Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary: San Jose St., Brgy. San Juan, Baras, 1970 Rizal. Tel: (02) 8861-3155. View Map>>>Feast of St. Joseph: March 19. 

How to Get There: Baras is located 43.2 kms. (a 1 hour and 25 min. drive), via Ortigas Ave., from Manila and 29.9 kms. (a 55-min. drive), via Sumulong Highway, from Antipolo City.

Church of St. Jerome (Morong, Rizal)

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Church of St. Jerome

This intricately-designed church, dedicated to St. Jerome (patron of scholars of the Bible, this saint translated the Bible), is one of the splendid examples of tropical Baroque architecture (more properly described as Baroque Revival architecture) in the Philippines, with its unique bell tower shape and finely detailed façade with fanciful balusters, large pillars and carved stone ornaments.  It is a favorite subject for photographers and a lovely backdrop for weddings and selfies.

The unique bell tower shape of the facade

It was first built in wood by Franciscan friars in 1612 opposite of its present location, on the south bank of the river.  After it was destroyed by fire together with a large part of the pueblo in 1612, it was rebuilt, on elevated ground at the opposite bank of Morong River (which ensured its safety from floods and fires) from 1615 to 1620 by Fr. Blas de la Madre with stone and mortar.

The finely-detailed Baroque facade

Stones were quarried from a hill called Kay Ngaya; lime from the stones of the mountain Kay Maputi; and sand and gravel from Morong River. Measuring 42 varas long by 12 varas wide, the church had a single nave with a semicircular apse, built under the direction of Chinese master craftsmen.

The plaque installed by the Philippine Historical Committee in 1939

In 1850, Fr. Maximo Rico commissioned Don Bartolome de Palatino, a native of Paete, to renovate the facade and build the four-storey, 30 m. (100-ft.) high octagonal bell tower.  Completed on February 2, 1853, the new Baroque façade, designed by Severo Sacramento, had a towering height of 20 varas. During the Philippine Revolution, Spanish casadores and other loyal civil guards were besieged in the church and convent, finally surrendering to the Katipuneros on August 19, 1898.

The left side of the church

The central portion of the elaborate, exquisitely carved and frequently photographed three-storey Baroque façade, one of the most striking of all church facades along Laguna de Bay, surges outward and the catenated balustrade above gives the whole a dynamic feeling.

The church interior

It has superpositioned Doric columns, a semicircular arched main entrance and an elaborately decorated segmental pediment with carved cornice and tympanum.  Horizontal string courses with decorative moldings and balustrades identify each level. Various decorative elements, some Mexican in origin, give the facade a richness characteristic of Baroque.

The choir loft

Chinese influence is seen at the two (a boy and a girl) Chinese lion sculptures at the entrance to the steep entrance driveway (it is 30 feet above the town). One lion, said to be the girl lion (said to have a hidden treasure inside it), was stolen between 2000 and 2005. The male lion is safeguarded at the St. Jerome school vicinity.

Main altar area

Above the main entrance is its landmark single bell tower (characteristic of European churches), the church’s focal point, with its statue of St. Michael the Archangel on top and ornamented with floral and scroll designs.

Four angels, representing the cardinal virtues (Prudence, Justice, Restraint and Courage), stand at the corners of the bell tower. The Franciscan coat-of-arms (indicating it was once assigned to Franciscan missionaries), the hands of Jesus and St. Francis of Assisi, is seen on the main facade of the bell tower.

The cross at its tip is illuminated at night and can be seen from the surrounding countryside. When fishing at night and during the storm, the bell tower is used by local fisher man in the nearby towns as a light house. Fr. Felix Huerta, writing in 1852, states that the facade had finials shaped as jars and shells used for illuminating it.

An added attraction in the church is the first class relic (a part of the saint’s body) given to the parish year in 2005, through the effort of then parish priest Rev. Fr. Lawrence “Larry” Paz, when they had their first pilgrimage tour to Holy Land and Vatican City.

Publicly exposed every Saturday during the anticipated mass (the kissing of the relic is done every last Saturday of the month), the relic is guarded by the knights of St. Jerome. Another much bigger relic, given, in 2007 to the parish as a gift from the main chaplain of the church of St. Jerome in Rome, is now buried on top of the table of the main altar.  It is kissed by the priest every time there is a mass.

 

The Four Evangelists

Church of St. Jerome: Turentigue St., Brgy. San Jose, Morong, Rizal. Tel: 8653-1259.  View Map>>>Feast of St. Jerome: September 30.

How to Get There: Morong is located 4.5 kms. (a 2-hr., 15-min. drive), via R-6, from Manila and 26.6 kms. (a 1-hr. drive), via Sumulong Highway, from Antipolo City.

Church of St. Ursula (Binangonan, Rizal)

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Church of St. Ursula

The centuries-old Church of St. Ursula, at the poblacion, was first built by Franciscan friars as a chapel in the late 16th century to gain access to native settlers around Laguna de Bay.

The church’s Baroque facade

The present church, started in 1792 and completed in 1800, was renovated in 1853. At the same time, the adjacent convent was rebuilt, under Fr. Francisco de Paula Gomez.

NHC Plaque

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The two-level, Baroque façade has a semicircular arch main entrance, flanked by four sets of rectangular pilasters , at the first level.  The second level, flanked by rectangular pilasters topped by urn-like finials, has three sets of semicircular arch windows (the bigger one in the center) framed by flat pilasters and topped by triangular pediments.

The triangular pediment has a rose window in the center. Between the façade and the bell tower, on the second level, is a statue of St. Ursula. The lovely three-storey, octagonal bell tower, on the church’s right, rests on a square base and has semicircular arch blind and open recesses.  It is topped by a dome and a cross.

The church’s interior

Inside, the church (like that of Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary in Baras) has no ceiling and its wooden trusses are exposed giving it a rustic look.

Check out “Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary”

The exposed ceiling

The altar and retablo

Church of St. Ursula: Paterno St., Brgy. Libid, Binangonan, Rizal. View Map>>>Tel: (02) 8652-3423.  Feast of St. Ursula: October 21.

How to Get There: Binangonan is located 32.5 kms. (a one hour and 20 min. drive), via Manila East Rd./R-5,from Manila and 25.4 kms. (a 1-hour drive), via E Bank Rd. and Manila East Rd., from Antipolo City.

Diocesan Shrine of St. Clement (Angono, Rizal)

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Diocesan Shrine of St. Clement

This church, dedicated to St. Clement of Rome ((also known as Pope Clement I), had humble beginnings as a chapel of a hacienda in 1751. A church, in Biga, was damaged during the June 3, 1863 earthquake and never repaired.

The church’s Baroque facade

The present church, began in 1877 with mulawin posts, cogon roof and bamboo sidings but, on July 2, 1881, an Episcopal permit was issued by Archbishop Pedro Payo de Felix to construct the church with its present day materials.

Old photo of church (photo: Municipality of Angono Facebook page)

The bell tower, built in 1930 by Fr. Segundo Alto, replaced the small wooden campanario located at the patio. A big copper church bell, brought to Angono in 1784, by the hacendero Josep Blanco Bermudez, is still in use at the bell tower of the present church.  In 1938, another big copper bell, donated by Pedro Anorico, was installed at the bell tower.

The church’s modern interior

AUTHORS NOTES:

The church’s simple Baroque facade has a protruding central segment with a semicircular arched main entrance with receding planes above which is a semicircular arch niche (with statue of St. Clement) and a triangular pediment.  Flanking this ensemble are semicircular arch statued niches.

The first two storeys (and part of the third), with semicircular arch windows, of the bell tower on the left are  original.  The slender tower above, which replaced two octagonal storeys with balustrade and pyramidal roof, is a later addition.  The right wing and the third level of the facade are also later additions.

The modern interior has paintings done by Angono artists above the left side of the nave.

The main altar and retablo

In 1952, the glorietta, with its statue of Christ the King, was completed and, in 1955, the window frames and panels in the bell tower and convent were renovated.

The left side of the nave with paintings by Angono artists

On September 8, 2021 (the Feast of the Nativity of Mary), the church was declared as a Diocesan Shrine ((the 10th  diocesan shrine of the Diocese of Antipolo) by Antipolo Bishop Francisco de Leon.

Paintings of Angono artists

Diocesan Shrine ofSt. Clement: Dona Aurora St., Brgy. Poblacion Ibaba, Angono, 1930 Rizal.  Tel: (02) 8650-3859.  Feast of Pope St. Clement: November 22-23.

How to Get There: Angono is located 26 kms. (a 1-hour drive via OrtigasAve.) from Manila and 18.4 kms. (a 40-min. drive via E Bank Rd.) from Antipolo City.

St. John the Baptist Church (San Juan City, Metro Manila)

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Church of St. John the Baptist

St. John the Baptist Church (Filipino: Parokya ng San Juan Bautista), also known colloquially as the “Pinaglabanan Church,” is located several meters from the Pinaglabanan Shrine.

Check out “Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine”

The first church was constructed, under the supervision of architect Luis Arellano and the financial support of Mariano Artiaga. A Franciscan, Fr. Roman Pérez, OFM, a year after the parish was established on July 15, 1894.  Fr. Perez served as the first parish priest from 1894 until 1897.

The Romanesque Revival facade

On August 30, 1896, the Battle of San Juan del Monte between Filipino and Spanish troops occurred on the tract of land fronting the newly built church. Damaged during the Philippine Revolution, Ramón J. Fernández spearheaded repairs to the church.

Plaque installed by the National Historical Commission in 1974

In 1951, when Fr. Hernando Antiporda (who later became Auxiliary Bishop of Manila) was parish priest, the church was renovated and expanded under the supervision of architect Otilio A. Arellano (grandson of Luis Arellano, the original architect) who notably preserved the original façade and nave of the structure.  The church acquired two additional front doors with the expansion.

The church’s interior

In 1975, Msgr. Severino Casas built two mortuary chapels in the church compound. In 1983, the nave was lengthened, the choir loft above the main door was removed and a crucifix above a new altar was installed.  The retablo (reredos) was preserved and the antique, centuries-old image of St. John the Baptist (previously at the top-center of the retablo) was moved to the St. Joseph Chapel.

Main altar

In 1987, a rectory, social hall, and crypt were built on the location of the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto (built in 1955) and, a year later, a Perpetual Adoration Chapel was built (only to be demolished to make way for the Holy Child Parochial School, now the St. John the Baptist Catholic School). In 2009, a smaller, air-conditioned Adoration Chapel, at the ground floor of the school near the church’s southern entrance, was finished.

St. John the Baptist Catholic School

The St. John the Baptist Church was declared as a historical landmark through San Juan Municipal Council Resolution, Ordinance No. 63 Series of 1989.

San Juan Centennial Belfry

On May 15, 1994 (Feast of the Ascension), Jaime Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila, blessed and inaugurated the new San Juan Centennial Belfry, built to commemorate the church’s hundredth anniversary. Designed by Architects Renato Berroya and Arsenio Topacio, the belfry matches the façade and houses the church bell that dates to 1896.

Centennial Tower plaque

AUTHOR’S NOTES

The church’s single level Romanesque Revival façade has a semicircular arch main entrance in receding planes.   It is flanked by semicircular arch niches with statues of St. Peter and St. Paul.  The triangular pediment, with its oculus, is topped by a small decorative cupola. The left and right wings, with their square doors, were added during the 1951 expansion.

 Church of St. John the Baptist: 140 Pinaglabanan cor. Mons Alvarez Sts., Brgy. Pedro Cruz, San Juan, Metro Manila. Tel: (02) 8725-7731.

El Deposito Underground Reservoir (San Juan City, Metro Manila)

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El Deposito

The cavernous El Deposito, one of the oldest underground reservoirs in the world and the country’s largest Spanish era artifact, was built as part of the Carriedo Waterworks (named after Francisco Carriedo y Perejo, a Spanish  Capitán General who bequeathed a grant to the city of Manila in 1733) which was built from 1878 to 1882 (additional works were done until 1884) under the supervision of Spanish engineer and architect Genaro Palacios (who later designed the all-steel San Sebastian Church).  He decided to use the Marikina River as the El Deposito‘s water source.

The above ground entrance to El Deposito

Made of volcanic tuff, this old underground water reservoir, with had a capacity of 15 million gallons, provided the residents of Manila and its surrounding areas with an adequate water supply. The underground reservoir held military strategic importance and, during the Philippine Revolution, the Katipunan attempted to seize the reservoir from Spanish colonial authorities in the Battle of San Juan del Monte (or Pinaglabanan) on August 26, 1896.   During the Philippine-American War, it was held by Filipinos.

During the American colonial administration, it was used as an armory by the Americans and, during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, by the Imperial Japanese forces. It was also used as a pulmonary hospital (specifically for tuberculosis patients) and as a firing range. In 1945, El Deposito was recaptured by the Allied forces but, after the war and the Philippine independence from the United States, fell to disuse, becoming a temporary garbage dumping ground and home for informal settlers.

On August 30, 1972, in recognition of the old reservoir as a cultural property, a marker was installed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. In 1973, in commemoration of the first battle of the Philippine Revolution, the land along El Deposito was converted into a recreational park named the Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine and Park.

Check out “Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine”

In 2016, efforts to rehabilitate the underground reservoir began when the University of the Philippines Archaeological Studies program conducted an assessment and excavation of the structure. In 2018, as a preparation for the development of the site as a tourist destination, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines conducted cleaning of the El Deposito‘s tunnel.  It was planned to be open to the public on March 2020 but the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic put this plan on hold.  It was finally opened on August 30, 2021.

When it was still in use as a water supply storage, the El Deposito had a capacity of 56,000 cu. m. (2,000,000 cu. ft.) for 300,000 people (at that time Manila only had a population of 285, 454) and, to keep water fresh and free from contamination, ventilation shafts were also utilized.

Jandy at the viewing platfor

As part of the larger Carriedo waterworks system, the reservoir sourced its water from the Marikina River which was pumped out via 5 kms. (3.1 mi.) of cast iron pipes which passed through the Santolan area.  It also supplied water to hydrants, drinking fountains and fountains in Intramuros and suburbs.

The author at El Deposito

The structure of the water reservoir, situated below an elevated hill, consists of a vast central canal that is connected to 25 smaller canals which each measured 5 m.(16 ft.) high and 3 m. (9.8 ft.) wide.  Military and civilian artifacts excavated during the restoration of El Deposito are displayed in Museo El Deposito.

Check out “Museo El Deposito”

El Deposito: Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, Pinaglabanan Street, San Juan City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Tel: (632) 753-5439. E-mail: museoeldepositogmail.com.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 8 AM to 4 PM.  Admission is free.

How to Get There: Jeepneys, at Camp Crame, have routes that pass by the Pinaglabanan Shrine.  RRCG buses that ply the Ortigas Avenue-Sta. Mesa route also pass by the Pinaglabanan Shrine.  By car, take the Bonny Serrano Avenue westbound, beside Camp Crame, until you reach Pinaglabanan Shrine.  From Ortigas Avenue westbound, turn left at Bonny Serrano Avenue and go straight until you reach Pinanglabanan Shrine on the right.

Museo El Deposito (San Juan City, Metro Manila)

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Museo El Deposito. On the right is the above ground entrance to the El Deposito Underground Reservoir

Museo El Deposito (translated as El Deposito Museum), a history museum situated within the grounds of the Pinaglabanan Shrine, was opened on February 20, 2019.  Housed inside a two-storey building on top of the El Deposito underground reservoir  and beside the Museo ng Katipunan, another museum, it features the Carriedo water system (which included the El Deposito underwater reservoir). 

Check out “El Deposito Underground Reservoir”

Ground floor lobby and reception area

The Museo El Deposito,under the management of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, aims to inspire everyone to value water as a natural resource and appreciate the people who make access to it easier for everday Filipinos.  It narrates the history of the underground reservoir and the Carriedo Waterworks as a whole.

The ground floor houses the Reception, Resource Center and Audio Visual Room.  The second floor has three galleries presenting bits of the country’s civil engineering history via various military and civilian artifacts recovered from the El Deposito reservoir, scaled models, electronic mini displays, a virtual reality room and interactive touch screen modules.

Gallery 1: Life Before the Waterworks (Buhay Bago ang Tubigan)

Gallery 1: Life Before the Waterworks (Buhay Bago ang Tubigan) narrates the period prior to the establishment of the Carriedo Waterworks system in 1882 when the city’s inhabitants relied on wells, esteros, and rivers for their water supply. Outbreaks of waterborne diseases were not uncommon at the time.

Water from the Aguador. On the foreground is a water filter carved out of porous rock, owned by Jose Rizal’s family

There are seven panels. Panel 1 (Aguadores) explains how typical Filipino aguadores fetched water from various water sources near Manila.

Waterworks System by Fr. Juan Peguero (1690)

Panel 2 (Peguero) narrates how Dominican Fr. Juan Peguero designed a waterworks system in 1690 that stretched 750 m. from the springs of San Juan del Monte.

Gov.-Gen. Antonio Ma. Blanco’s Barrel Filter (1850)

Panel 3 (Water Filtration Systems) displays various replicas of 19th-century water-filtration systems such as a water filter, owned by Jose Rizal’s family, carved out of porous rock. Near it is a cross section of a wooden barrel with layers of filtering material.

Gov.-Gen. Pascual Enrile’s Barrel Filter (1833)

Panels 4 and 5 (Cortes and dela Corte) narrates studies by Tomas Cortes (commandant of engineers) on the water quality of different sources of water in 1844 and of Lt.-Col. Felipe de la Corte (a military engineer) who continued Cortes’ work in 1859.

Analysis by Tomas Cortes (1844)

At Panel 6 (Francisco Carriedo), visitors will get to know Francisco Carriedo, a Spanish Capitán General of Manila who spearheaded the development of Manila’s waterworks by donating a portion of his fortune from the galleon trade.

Carriedo’s Donation (1733)

On display are facsimiles of Carriedo’s documents. Panel 7 (Carriedo Fountain) has a replica of the Carriedo Fountain.

Carriedo’s Fountain. On the left is a miniature replica of the fountain

On the museum floor is an actual original specimen of an 1888 Carriedo waterworks fire hydrant, a full-sized 3D-printed replica and a replica of 1833 and 1850 barrel filters.

Original Carriedo Waterworks hydrant

3D model of Carriedo Waterworks hydrant

Also on display is an original 1882 Carriedo commemorative coin; a 1911 Carriedo postage stamp, original old silver coins of King Charles IV of Spain; and a copy of Carriedo’s book Carriedo y Sus Obras.

1882 commemorative coin and 1911 Francisco Carriedo commemorative stamp

Silver coins of King Charles IV of Spain

Gallery 2: The Carriedo Waterworks (Ang Patubigang Carriedo) features artifacts, photographs and plans of the Carriedo Water System, prints and scale models.

Gallery 2: The Carriedo Waterworks (Ang Patubigang Carriedo)

There are 5 panels – Panel 1 (General Plan of Waterworks), Panel 2 (Approved Plan of Waterworks), Panel 3 (Genaro Palacios), Panel 4A & 4B (Casa de Servicios and Water Reservoir) and Panel 5 (Construction Materials).

Genaro Palacios, the Engineers and the Workers

Examples of Construction Materials

At the center of the room is the miniature scaled model of Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine.

Check out “Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine”

Scaled Model of Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine

Gallery 3: National Shrine (Pambansang Dambana), where things get interactive, has a Virtual Reality (VR) Exhibit Room where museum visitors use virtual reality headsets and watch a 360-degree historical recreation of key events during the Battle of San Juan del Monte, the first battle of the Philippine Revolution, made by I Am Cardboard PH, a local VR company.

Gallery 3 – National Shrine

The scenes feature historical figures such as Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto.  Along the wall is the historical visual timeline of events in the history of El Deposito.

Virtual Reality Room

Historical Visual Timeline

Opposite the timeline are various World War II-era artifacts such as helmets (including a Guinit sun helmet used by the Philippine Army during the Philippine Commonwealth Period), ammunition shells and other war paraphernalia which were excavated from the El Deposito area.

Objects Excavated in El Deposito

On the top shelf, left, is a Commonwealth era Guinit sun helmet

Outside the museum building is the above ground entrance to an aqueduct of the El Deposito itself as well as statues of Genaro Palacios showing plans of the Carriedo Waterworks to Spanish Gov.-Gen. Domingo de Moriones and of four Katipuneros waiting for the Battle of San Juan del Monte.

Statues of Four Katipuneros waiting for the Battle of San Juan del Monte

Genaro Palacios showing plans of Carriedo Waterworks to Spanish Gov.-Gen. Domingo de Moriones

Museo El Deposito: 29 1500 Pinaglabanan Shrine, Pinaglabanan St.,Corazon de Jesus, San Juan, Metro Manila. Tel: (02) 7753 5439.  E-mail: museoeldeposito@gmail.com. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM – 4 PM. Admission is free. 

How to Get There: Jeepneys, at Camp Crame, have routes that pass by the Pinaglabanan Shrine.  RRCG buses that ply the Ortigas Avenue-Sta. Mesa route also pass by the Pinaglabanan Shrine.  By car, take the Bonny Serrano Avenue westbound, beside Camp Crame, until you reach Pinaglabanan Shrine.  From Ortigas Avenue westbound, turn left at Bonny Serrano Avenue and go straight until you reach Pinanglabanan Shrine on the right.

Museo ng Katipunan (San Juan City, Metro Manila)

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Museo ng Katipunan

The two-storey Museo ng Katipunan (translated as ”Museum of the Katipunan”), a history museum dedicated to Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan, is situated within the grounds of the Pinaglabanan Shrine.

Opened as the Museo ng Rebolusyon (translated as Museum of the Revolution) on August 30, 1996 (during the centennial of the Battle of Pinaglabanan), the museum, prior to 2006, mainly featured the Battle of Pinaglabanan and had pictures, cutouts, and busts of Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, and Apolinario Mabini as exhibits.

Statue of Andres Bonifacio

In 2006, the museum underwent a Php5 million renovation and was expanded to cover the Katipunan organization as a whole.  On November 30, 2006, Bonifacio Day, it  was re-inaugurated as the Museo ng Katipunan. It was reconstructed as a modernized museum and was reopened on August 27, 2013.

Ground floor exhibits

Lined with innovative and conventional exhibits, the Museo ng Katipunan tells the story of the Katipunan, the clandestine organization of the Filipino revolutionaries. It features artifacts which relate to the Philippine Revolution and the Katipunan.

Life of Andres Bonifacio

The museum includes archival documents such as cedulas, oaths, membership forms, cryptic messages, as well as medals,  and bladed weapons used by the Katipunan.

Weapons used by the Katipunan

One of the main attractions of the museum is its collection of anting-anting which played a significant role in the motivation of the Katipuneros.

Anting-Antings

These formed copper or bronze medallions were engraved with religious symbols and Latin text.  There’s also a vest shirt with hand-drawn folk Catholic symbols and magical incantations.

Hankerchief with Jesus Christ image

Handpainted cloth vest

Also displayed are various artworks. Monochrome pastel portraits of known Katipuneros where created by renowned Filipino artist Pancho Piano.

Monochrome pastel portraits of known Katipuneros  (Pancho Piano)

The Life of Andres Bonifacio  and Ang Dapat Mabatid ng mga Tagalog, both by Pancho Piano; and Katipunan by Juanito Torres are oil paintings that depict scenes from the Philippine Revolution.

Katipunan (Juanito Torres)

Ang Dapat Mabatid ng mga Tagalog (Pancho Piano)

There are also busts of Pio Valenzuela, Andres Bonifacio (by Julie Lluch), Gregoria de Jesus and Emilio Jacinto, and a 20th century decorative panel by Isabelo Tampinco.

Busts of Andres Bonifacio, Gregoria de Jesus, Emilio Jacinto and Pio Valenzuela

Decorative panel (Isabelo Tampinco)

The museum also features interactive features such as a holographic image of Andres Bonifacio, an audio recording of the poem Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa and touch screen terminals.

Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa

The entwined lives of Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto are highlighted by different exhibits like the interactive map tracing their beginnings in Tondo, Manila, the Kartilya, and the Katipunan Decalogue. You can also draw your own version of the Katipunan seal via an interactive projector.  Museum staff can print it for you as a remembrance.

The Kartilya

Ang Dapat Mabatid ng mga Tagalog

In addition, the Museum houses a stereoscopy room featuring late 19th century photographs, a library, and a 30-pax E-learning room where students from grades 5 -7 can take online interactive lessons, produced by the NHCP, about Bonifacio and the Katipunan, the first in the country.

Flags of the Katipunan

The Museo ng Katipunan provides an educational approach to understand the Katipunan, its primary movers, and their actions. Apart from Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, and other renowned revolutionaries, the museum also honors, through a Memorial Wall, the valiant efforts of the Katipuneros who fought for the independence of the Philippines.

Emilio Jacinto

Women of the Revolution

The Museo ng Katipunan provides an educational approach to understand the Katipunan, its primary movers, and their actions. Apart from Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, and other renowned revolutionaries, the museum also honors, through a Memorial Wall, the valiant efforts of the Katipuneros who fought for the independence of the Philippines.

Dioramas showing the chronology of events of the Philippine Revolution

Sanduguan

On both floors are dioramas that show the chronology of the events of the Philippine Revolution using 300 Ninay dolls produced by the Balikatan sa Kaunlaran Foundation.  At the ground floor is “The Cry of the Revolution,” “The Uprising of the Filipino People,” “The March to El Polvorin,” “The Skirmish at El Polvorin,”  “The Attack on El Deposito,” “The Battle of San Juan del Monte,” “The Declaration of the First Martial Rule in the Philippines” and “The First Martyrs of the Katipunan.”  At the second floor is “Unang Sigaw.”

 

Museo ng Katipunan: 29 Pinaglabanan St., Brgy. Corazon de Jesus, San Juan City, Metro Manila. Curator: Christian Bernard Melendez.  Tel: (632) 7254 -4470.  Mobile  number: (0917) 553-7856. Email Add: pinaglabananmemorialshrine@gmail.com.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 8 AM to 4 PM.

How to Get There: Jeepneys, at Camp Crame, have routes that pass by the Pinaglabanan Shrine.  RRCG buses that ply the Ortigas Avenue-Sta. Mesa route also pass by the Pinaglabanan Shrine.  By car, take the Bonny Serrano Avenue westbound, beside Camp Crame, until you reach Pinaglabanan Shrine.  From Ortigas Avenue westbound, turn left at Bonny Serrano Avenue and go straight until you reach Pinanglabanan Shrine on the right.

 

Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine (San Juan City, Metro Manila)

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Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine

The 5-hectare (12-acre), historically significant Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine (Filipino: Pang-alaalang Dambana ng Pinaglabanan), a Filipino national shrine and park and war memorial, was built to commemorate the 1896 Battle of Pinaglabanan (translated as “battlefield”), the first major battle of the Philippine Revolution between Filipino revolutionaries and forces of the Spanish Empire, and the heroism of the Katipuneros who laid siege to Polvorín de Almacen, an armory belonging to the Spanish Colonial Government.

The author posing beside the “Eternal Flame” with the “Spirit of Pinaglabanan” in the background

On August 29, 1896, 800 Katipuneros marched towards the Spanish powder magazine or polvorin (known then as Almacen de Polvora) in San Juan del Monte which protected Manila’s water supply.  The first group, led by Katipunan Supremo Andrés Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto, came from Mandaluyong.  The second group, led by Sancho Valenzuela, came from Santa Mesa.  Their strategy was to capture the reservoir and dry up the water supply to Manila.

Just before daylight, they rashly assaulted the forward sentry lines and besieged the Spanish garrison manned by 100 trained artillerists and infantrymen, well armed with the latest model Remingtons and Mauser breech-loading rifles.  Bonifacio and his men fought with bolos, bamboo lances, short-range hunting shotguns and several pistols.  The Spanish commander was killed and the rest of the garrison withdrew to El Deposito (the old Manila water reservoir).  A stalemate ensued.

The following morning, they besieged El Deposito.  The arrival of Gen. Bernardo Echaluce’s Regiment 73 turned the tide against the rebels.  The Katipuneros, who regrouped in Santa Mesa, courageously engaged the arriving Spanish troops, but armed only with wooden lances, bolos and handmade guns, were easily outfought and forced to retreat. They suffered heavy losses with 153 patriots killed and 200 others, including Sancho Valenzuela, captured.

The “Spirit of Pinaglabanan” of Eduardo Castrillo

The centerpiece of the sprawling memorial shrine, built in 1973, is the Spirit of Pinaglabanan, a sculpture by the late, renowned Filipino sculptor Eduardo Castrillo (also known for the People Power Monument) that features three elongated cut and welded brass figures of a woman supported by two children, holding up a bolo, atop a semicircular, 10 x 4.3 x 4.3 meter molded concrete base.

Walls inscribed with the names of possible Katipuneros based on primary sources and published studies

Flanking the statue are walls inscribed with the names of possible Katipuneros based on primary sources and published studies. In front is a monument with an “Eternal Flame” signifying the Filipinos’ adherence to the principles of liberty.

This statue, portraying the heroism of the Katipuneros who fought and died in this battlefield, is interwoven with San Juan’s identity and is depicted on the city’s official seal. On August 1, 1973, the Pinaglabanan Shrine was declared as a National Shrine by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 260.

After years of dilapidation, a Php50 million renovation for the park was begun, headed by the San Juan local government, under Mayor Francis Zamora, and the Department of Public Works and Highways with consultation from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

The “Eternal Flame”

The  makeover of the landmark included the replacement of flooring, landscaping, construction of a perimeter fence and public toilets and installation of new sets of elevated LED lights and sprinklers. On November 25, 2019, the memorial shrine was reopened.

The shrine is jointly maintained by the San Juan city government and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines which runs two museums within the park, the Museo ng Katipunan (Museum of the Katipunan) and the Museo El Deposito (El Deposito Museum).

Check out “Museo ng Katipunan,” “Museo El Deposito” and “El Deposito Underground Reservoir”

Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine:  N. Domingo cor. Pinaglabanan Street, Barangay Paraiso, City of San Juan, Metro Manila.  Coordinates: 14°36′17″N 121°01′52″E.

How to Get There: Jeepneys, at Camp Crame, have routes that pass by the Pinaglabanan Shrine.  RRCG buses that ply the Ortigas Avenue-Sta. Mesa route also pass by the Pinaglabanan Shrine.  By car, take the Bonny Serrano Avenue westbound, beside Camp Crame, until you reach Pinaglabanan Shrine.  From Ortigas Avenue westbound, turn left at Bonny Serrano Avenue and go straight until you reach Pinanglabanan Shrine on the right.