Category Archives: Cemeteries

Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (Taguig City, Metro Manila)

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Aerial view of Manila American Cemetery and Memorial

The 615,000 sq. m. (152-acre), sobering but serenely beautiful  Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM), located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, Metro Manila, is Asia’s version of Arlington National Cemetery.

Manila American Cemetery and Memorial up close

It is the largest of 26 cemeteries and 29 memorials, monuments and markers in 16 countries built and administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission, both in area and number of graves, and the only American oversea cemetery in the Pacific.

Entrance Gate

My visit came on just five days before  Memorial Day (celebrated on the last Monday of May, this year on May 29) which features a program spearheaded by the U.S. Embassy, the American Association of the Philippines, the American Battle Monuments Commission and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The circular fountain

However, there are few tourists around. On that day, American and Filipino flags are placed beside each of these marble headstones.  Today, this tranquil, park-like space, in the midst of bustling Taguig City, is a major tourist destination. The environment here, however, is beautiful and the atmosphere is solemn.

The east and west hemicycle with the tower in between

Located on a prominent, gently rising plateau, it within the boundaries of the former Fort William McKinley, on the edge of Makati, Manila’s main financial district, and is visible at a distance from the east, south and west.   On a clear day, from the memorial and other points within the cemetery, there are impressive views over the lowlands to Laguna de Bay and towards the distant mountains although the view is increasingly being obscured by the high rise buildings in nearby Fort Bonifacio.

Visitor’s Center

Immediately beyond the front gate is a circular fountain and the plaza.  To the right is the Visitors’ Building. Stretching from the plaza to the grassy terrace (known as the Memorial Court) is the central mall which is lined with mahogany trees (Swietenia macrophylla). Straight roads, along the edges of the mall, join circular roads leading eastward and westward through the graves area.

On April 1, 1948, the Philippine Government granted the US permission to establish a memorial cemetery on the site of Fort McKinley (now Fort Bonifacio).  Designed by Architect Gardner A. Dailey from San Francisco, construction started in 1948 by C.H. Concio and J.M. Bondoc Architects/Engineers/Planners.  The cemetery was finally dedicated on December 8, 1960.

Within are 17,206 graves of 16,636 personnel (from every state in the US and District of Columbia as well as from Panama, Guam, Puerto Rico, Australia, Canada, China, England, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Finland, Jamaica, Burma and Peru)  killed during World War II alongside 570 Philippine Scouts who served with U.S, forces (plus one Commonwealth War Dead burial in World War I located in Plot G just below a line of 4 bronze plaques).

Valentine J. Miele (Water Tender 3C, USNR, New Jersey, January 16, 1945)

The number represents approximate 39% (the other 61% were returned home at the request of the next of kin) of the burials originally made in temporary cemeteries in New Guinea, the Philippines and other islands in the Southwest Area.

Thomas H. Morgan (Sgt. HQ SO 19 Bomb Group H, Oklahoma, July 16, 1942)

Many of the personnel whose remains are interred or represented were killed in New Guinea, or during the epic defense during the Battle of the Philippines (1941–42) and East Indies and the long but victorious return of American forces through the vast island chain up to the Allied recapture of the islands.

A headstone with the Star of David among Latin Crosses

The solid white marble (the majority quarried and fabricated from Lasa or Carrara in Italy and more than a 100 from Romblon, Philippines) headstones, all in a straight line, mark each grave mostly with a Latin Cross (with a Star of David for 166 others of the Jewish faith). They are simply inscribed with the name, rank, branch of service, home state and date of death of the one interred.

The headstones are aligned in eleven plots forming a generally circular pattern, set among a wide variety of tropical trees and shrubbery.   The grass (Zoysia matrella) there was propagated from two square yards of sod shipped in 1951 from the US Department of Agriculture Experimental Station at Beltsville, Maryland.

Chapel

The rear facade of the chapel

A 60 ft. high, white masonry tower, enriched with sculpture and mosaic, stands near the center of the cemetery. Its exterior has a bas-relief of superimposed groups, designed by Boris Lovet Lorski of New York City and executed by Filipino Cecchetti (who also furnished the stone for the memorial), portraying a young American warrior, symbolized by St. George, fighting a dragon in jungle characteristic of the Pacific islands.

The monumental bas-relief

Above them are the personifications of ideals which he fought for – Liberty, Justice and Country.  At the very zenith of the relief stands Columbia (a symbol of the United States) and a child that symbolizes the future.  The rear façade is inscribed with “Take unto thyself O Lord the souls of the valiant.”

Interior of chapel

Bronze grill doors open into the small devotional chapel dedicated to St. George with stained glass windows and an altar, crafted from Pentato di Sicilia marble, where you can kneel and pray.  To the left is an Episcopal prayer set in gold tesserae.  The prie-dieu and benches are made with narra while the altar ornaments are made of bronze.

The female figure on a blue background and flanked by stained glass windows

Above is an unnamed, tall and graceful female figure (which reminded me of the Virgin Mary) scattering flowers in memory of the heroic dead, decorated with mosaic on a predominantly blue background, which is said to represent the motherly divine guidance of the One above.

 

Memorial Visitor’s Center

In front of the tower, on a wide terrace, are two large hemicycle structures, each with 24 pairs of fin walls.  Across, from the parking lot, is the Memorial Visitor’s Center.

Check out “Memorial Visitor’s Center”

East Hemicycle

On rectangular Trani (quarried near Bari on the east coast of Italy) limestone piers, within the hemicycles, are inscribed the Tablets of the Missing, grouped by Armed Service and arranged alphabetically from the south ends of each hemicycle, contain 36,284 names of people (32,532 Americans and 3,752 Philippine nationals) whose remains were never recovered or not identified.

West Hemicycle

The west hemicycle lists the missing servicemen from the Navy and Marines (its frieze, facing the Memorial Court, lists the Pacific battles waged by the Army and the Marines) while the east hemicycle lists the missing from, the Coast Guard and the Army and Army Air Force (it wasn’t established as a separate armed service until after the war) and part of the missing from the U.S. Marines.

Tablets of the Missing

A. Peter Dewey (1916–1945), an OSS officer killed in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) shortly after World War II ended, is listed on the Tablets of the Missing.   A bronze rosette (there are 433 as of latest count) marks the names of those who were subsequently found, recovered and identified while 3,660 headstones mark the graves of 7,744 “unknowns.”  Four bronze plaques mark graves containing multiple remains that could not be separately identified.

Before I got to the four rooms with the Tablets of the Missing, I passed by the walls where I found some of the 25 larger-than-life, 10 ft. high mosaic maps, designed by Margaret Bruton (from Carmel, California) and fabricated by P. Grassi American Terrazo Company of South San Francisco, recalling the timeline of how the World War II started and ended, recalling the actions of the United States Armed Forces in the Pacific, China, India and Burma.

Missing from the U.S. Marine Corp

The maps were made from tinted concrete, colored aggregates and mosaic inserts, with texts cast from plastic, while the borders of each map reflect the unique art patterns of the Pacific countries affected by the war.  Carved on the floors are the Great Seal of the United States and the seals of the States of the Union, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Great Seal of the State of Alabama

Great Seal of the State of Arizona

Twenty-nine Medal of Honor recipients are buried or memorialized at the American Memorial Cemetery. Medal of Honor recipients buried here are:

Missing from the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Air Force and U.S. Coast Gurad

Cenotaphs and memorial listings for Medal of Honor recipients include:

Map Room

Also honored are 20 sets of brothers lying next to one another including the five “Fighting Sullivan Brothers” (whose deaths influenced the creation of the Sole Survivor Policy) from Iowa who perished when the light cruiser USS Juneau was sunk by a torpedo from the Japanese submarine I-26 on November 13 1942 during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

Defense of Southeast Asia (December 1941-May 1942)

Other notable people buried here include:

Defense of Luzon (December 8, 1941-May 6, 1942)

Every hour,between 9 AM and 5 PM, a carillon sounds to mark the hour and half hour.  At 5 PM, the carillon plays the national anthems of both the U.S. and the Philippines, followed by a volley of rifles and the playing of Taps. 

Luzon Campaign and Reoccupation of Manila

American Memorial Cemetery and Memorial: 1634 McKinley Rd, Taguig City 1634, Metro Manila. Tel: (02) 8844-0212, (02) 8813-2521 and (02) 8894-3963. Fax: (02) 8812-4717.  E-mail: supt@abmc-ar.org. Website:  www.abmc.gov/Manila. Open daily (except December 25 and January 1), 9 AM to 5 PM..  Coordinates: 14.541°N 121.050°E. Admission is free but a valid photo ID is required for entrance to the cemetery.

How to Get There: The American Memorial Cemetery is located at the junction between McKinley Road and Nichols Field Road, about 11 kms.  southeast of the center of Manila.  It can be reached most easily from the city via EDSA to McKinley Road, then to McKinley Parkway inside the Bonifacio Global City. The Nichols Field Road is the easiest access from Manila International Airport to the cemetery. The entrance to the cemetery is at the far (east) side of the large grassed circle just beyond the military sentinel’s post which is at the junction of Rizal Drive and Eighth Ave..

Libingan ng mga Bayani (Taguig City, Metro Manila)

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Libingan ng mga Bayani

The 103-hectare Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB, translated as “Heroes Cemetery”), the final resting place of more than 49,000 deceased  Filipino soldiers, statesmen, heroes, and martyrs, is a national cemetery within Fort Bonifacio (formerly Fort William McKinley).

Formerly the Republic Memorial Cemetery, it was first established in May 1947 as a tribute and final resting place for the 33,520 to 58,780 Filipino soldiers who died during the Philippine Campaign (1941–42) and the Allied Liberation of the Philippines (1944–45) in World War II. The cemetery is the Filipino counterpart to the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, which houses the remains of United States personnel who died during the same war.

Presidents of the Republic of the Philippines (Section A)

On June 16, 1948, Republic Act 289 (also known as An Act Providing for the Construction of a National Pantheon for Presidents of the Philippines, National Heroes, and Patriots of the Country) was signed into law by Philippine President Elpidio Quirino.

Veterans of World War II, Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor (Section IX)

On October 27, 1954, President Ramon Magsaysay renamed the Republic Memorial Cemetery as the Libingan ng mga Bayani. On May 28, 1967, Presidential Proclamation No. 208 was issued by President Ferdinand Marcos who ordered the reservation of 142 hectares of land within Fort Bonifacio Military Reserve in consideration for the Libingan ng mga Bayani to serve, not only as a cemetery for Philippine military personnel, but also as a national shrine for fallen heroes.  Marcos  also ordered it placed under the administration of the Military Shrines Services of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, an agency under the Department of National Defense.

Chief of Staff, AFP (Section C)

On April 9, 1986, President Corazon Aquino and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Fidel V. Ramos  issued Armed Forces Regulations G 161-373. This military-issued regulation, also known as “The allocation of Cemetery Plots at the LNMB,” established the interment policy that would become the basis for the burial of personalities at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Bulwagan ng mga Bayani

On October 26, 1993, President Fidel V. Ramos  issued Executive Order No. 131 making National Artists and National Scientists of the Philippines eligible for interment at the cemetery.

Heroes Memorial Gate

In 2007, due to overcrowding at the Fort Bonifacio site, the cemetery’s administration started exploring sites for Libingan ng mga Bayani annexes in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The ₱24-million, five-hectare extension at Camp Hernandez in Dingle, Iloilo was the only one completed so far.

On January 4, 2019, Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana approved a five-year development program for the cemetery (projected to cost about ₱3.3 billion) whose goal is to rehabilitate and transform the LNMB into a world-class national cemetery at par with the nearby Manila American Cemetery. The first phase of the program, to be implemented by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, includes the construction of a dignified cemetery area, a historical theme park, and a memorial shrine.

Grave of President Ferdinand E. Marcos

On November 18, 2016, amid much controversy resulting in a handful of protests in various parts of the Philippines, former president Ferdinand Marcos was buried in a private ceremony with military honors after the Supreme Court of the Philippines dismissed petitions against his burial on 8 November 2016.

Grave of President Elpidio Quirino

Today, the cemetery is administered and maintained by the Grave Service Unit (GSU), a unit of the Philippine Army Support Command of the AFP. Their mission is:

  • to provide burial and niche services to deceased military personnel and other personalities interred at the cemetery
  • to maintain the cemetery and the military grave site at Manila North Cemetery
  • provide mortuary and memorial services to authorized personnel 

Grave of President Diosdado Macapagal

According to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Regulation G 161-373 and based on the The Allocation of Cemetery Plots at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, the following persons are entitled to interment at the Libingan ng mga Bayani:

  • Medal of Valor awardees
  • Presidents or Commanders-in-Chief, AFP
  • The secretaries of National Defense
  • AFP Chiefs of Staff
  • Generals/Flag Officers of the AFP
  • Active and retired military personnel of the AFP (including active draftees and trainees who died in line of duty, and active reservists and CAFGU Active Auxiliary who died in combat-related activities)
  • Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals
  • Senators and Senate President
  • Former AFP members who laterally entered/joined the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)
  • Veterans of the Philippine Revolution of 1896, the First and Second World Wars, as well as recognized guerrillas
  • Government dignitaries, statesmen and other deceased persons whose interment has been approved by the commander-in-chief, Congress or the Secretary of National Defense
  • Former Presidents and widows of former Presidents and Chiefs of Staff
  • National Artists and National Scientists of the Philippines

Grave of President Diosdado Macapagal

However, the same regulation also says that the prohibition of interment applies to “personnel who were dishonorably separated/ reverted/ discharged from the service and personnel who were convicted by final judgment of an offense involving moral turpitude” from interment at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Grave of President Carlos P. Garcia

When we visited, the first structure we saw upon entering the grounds of the cemetery complex was the Heroes Memorial Gate.  This large concrete tripod, with a stairway leading to an upper view deck, has a metal sculpture at the center.

Grave of Vice-President Salvador H. Laurel

Near the Heroes Memorial Gate and erected on opposite sides of the main entrance road are two 12-ft. high black stone walls.  They bear the words that General Douglas MacArthur uttered during a journey to the Philippines in 1961: “I do not know the dignity of his birth, but I do know the glory of his death.”

Grave of Carlos P. Romulo

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the main structure at the center of the cemetery, is where wreath laying ceremonies are held when Philippine government officials and foreign dignitaries visit the cemetery. The tomb is inscribed with the words: “Here lies a Filipino soldier whose name is known only to God.” Three marble pillars, behind the tomb, represent the three main island groups in the Philippines: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Around the cemetery are a number of pylons commemorating the gallantry of Filipino soldiers who died in various wars in world history. The Korean Memorial Pylon honors the 112 Filipino officers and men who were members of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) who perished during the Korean War.

Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Pylon

The Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Pylon is dedicated to the members of the Philippine contingent and Philippine civic action groups (PHILCON-V and PHILCAG-V) who were sent to Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1971

Philippine World War II Guerillas Pylon

The Philippine World War II Guerrillas Pylon, erected by the Veterans Federation of the Philippines, serves as “a testimony to the indomitable spirit and bravery of the Filipino guerrillas of World War II who refused to be cowed into submission and carried on the fight for freedom against an enemy with vastly superior arms and under almost insurmountable odds.”

Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Pylon

The Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Memorial was erected in 1977 in memory of those who served during World War II.

Marawi Heroes Memorial

The Marawi Heroes Memorial (Marawi Pylon) honors the 165 soldiers who died during the Marawi Siege, a five-month long battle between government forces and Islamic State-inspired terrorists.

Grave of Alejo S. Santos

There are 46 allocated grave sites for presidents.  The presidents buried here are Elpidio Quirino (1890–1956), the 6th President; Carlos P. Garcia (1896–1971), the 8th President; Diosdado Macapagal (1910–1997), the 9th President; and Ferdinand Marcos (1917–1989), the 10th President.

Grave of Arturo M. Tolentino

There are also 94 plots allotted for secretaries of national defense, government dignitaries, and statesmen.   They include:

Grave of Chief Justice Fred Ruiz Castro

Secretaries of National Defense buried here include Fortunato Abat (1925–2018), Rafael Ileto (1920–2003), Alejo Santos (1911–1984) and Ernesto S. Mata (1915–2012).

Grace of Rafael Ileto

One hundred thirty-three slots are allotted for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chiefs of staff.  Buried here are:

Grave of Artemio Ricarte

Some 1,375 slots are allotted for National Artists and National Scientists of the Philippines.  Buried here are

Grave of Fortunato U. Abat

There are 118 slots allotted for Medal of Valor awardees.  They include:

Grave of Haydee Yorac

183 slots for other generals and flag officers, 5,334 slots for World War II veterans and the remaining grave sites are designated for retired AFP personnel and veterans.  Other notable persons buried here include:

Grave of Maximo V. Soliven

Libingan ng mga Bayani: Bayani Rd., Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City 1630, Metro Manila, Coordinates 14.520°N 121.044°E.

Manila Memorial Park (Paranaque City, Metro Manila)

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Manila Memorial Park and its iconic landmark – the Meditation Tower

Due to the COVID 19 imposed social distancing requirement, all memorial parks and cemeteries were slated to be closed from October 29 to November 3.  All Saints’ Day was still a month away but I now decided to make an early visit to the 142-hectare Manila Memorial Park (MMP) where my parents, father-in-law, paternal grandparents and two of my first cousins are buried.

This would be my second travel outside our subdivision since the lockdown started six month ago and the first time with me driving.  Bringing along my son Jandy, I also experienced my first traffic gridlock since the lockdown, with heavy traffic around the City Hall area.

Jandy beside the plot of his grandparents who are buried in a lawn lot (only underground burials allowed), double tierred (you may inter two fresh bodies underground) contained in sealed concrete vaults. Interments are marked with flat markers (lapidas) of uniform size and make

The Manila Memorial Park (MMP) was established in 1964 when Parañaque, now a city and a part of Metro Manila, was still a municipality of Rizal province. The first company to introduce the memorial park concept in the Philippines, in the past, the Filipino idea of burial was to place dead bodies inside protruding stone tombs. Manila Memorial Park changed all that with the introduction of the Western concept of lawn burials where the dead are buried in a lawn setting of open, manicured and green fields, with trees and garden in the perimeter, and with the grave markers on top.

Now the largest memorial park developer in the country (with a total of 427 hectares, 242 of which are fully developed), the flagship cemetery became part of a larger network of burial sites of Manila Memorial Park, Inc. with five other beautifully-maintained memorial parks, under the Manila Memorial Park brand, opened in other parts of the Philippines with three (aside from MMP) in Luzon (MMP – Holy Cross in Novaliches in Quezon City; the 128-hectare MMP – Dasmariñas in Cavite, opened November 1991; the 45-hectare MMP-Bulacan in Plaridel, opened June 1998) one in the Cebu (the 40-hectare MMP – Cebu) in the Visayas and one in Davao City (MMP – Davao) in Mindanao.

Double niche measuring 4 m. x 4.88 m. (19.52 sq. m.) with 8 single tiered underground burials and 2 above ground niches (optional), a total of 10 burials spaces.

After Pope John Paul II lifted the ban on cremation for Catholics in 1983, MMP built a crematorium in August 1985, becoming the first cemetery to host a modern crematorium in a memorial park setting.

Columbarium

Currently, Manila Memorial Park operates four sets of crematories, one in its Sucat Park, the second in Holy Cross in Novaliches, Quezon City., the third in Dasmariñas in Cavite, and the fourth in its Bulacan park.

Administration and Information Center

For the sake of convenience (not to mention sparing the city’s already traffic-prone streets from even worse traffic), wakes can be held at 3 venues all set amidst the Park’s signature lush greenery – the park’s old main chapel and two spacious, clean and modern air-conditioned branches of popular funeral homes in the metropolis.

Funeraria Paz

In 2001, MMP partnered with La Funeraria Paz & the House of Investments to open Paz Memorial Chapels – Sucat, a full-service mortuary set in a modern 3-story edifice right inside MMP’s flagship park. The Rizal Premier Chapel, a new funeral venue, was built from December 2016 to August 2017.

Rizal Premier Chapel

The Main Chapel

Aside from utility, memorial parks, as sacred and serene places for rest, comfort and inspiration, also operate on the concept of beauty, both natural and man-made. Within the park are at least 250 species of trees, flowering shrubs, ornamental plants, cacti, succulents, ferns, orchids and even variegated palms, most of them planted by the park management or by the families. Ayahuma  or cannonball tree (Couroupita guianensis), frangipani (Plumeria rubra, locally called  kalachuchi) tree, dita trees (Alstonia scholaris), fish poison tree (Barringtonia asiatica, locally called botong, bitun, bitung or boton), several ficus trees, bougainvillea hybrids and hedge plants are extensively used in the park landscaping.

At least 2 dozen bird species (Eurasian tree sparrow, Philippine pied fantail, turtle doves, pigeon, etc.) also call the park as home while the the wooded areas also host a number of bats, butterflies and bees. An informal jogging group also meet at the park.

The bridge over the creek

A creek, crossed by bridges, flows within the park. The Meditation Tower, one of the landmarks in the park, is modeled after two hands clasped in prayer. Inside is a large metal-welded sculpture of the Risen Christ flanked by burial niches.

The welded metal statue of the Risen Christ inside the Meditation Tower

Of course, no memorial park, or cemetery for that matter, is complete without mausoleums of all shapes and sizes. Mausoleums stand as proof of a surviving family’s love for their deceased loved ones and some of the grandest and most beautiful mausoleums in the country can be found in the park. Just like luxury residences (in this case, for the dead), some of them are exquisitely designed.

A row of mausoleums

Many consider the MMP as the southern and more contemporary equivalent of the Manila Chinese Cemetery, with many Filipino-Chinese buried here, a lot of them entombed within exquisite and sometimes massive mausoleums. Some have traditional mini censers (where incense is lit to honor their dead) usually seen beside a Chinese tomb.

Symbolizing the highest form of immortalizing your loved ones, mausoleums (or family estates) are available in clusters of 18, 24, 36 and 96 lots.  Each lot in the family estate allows for one underground burial, contained in a sealed concrete vault.  The construction of a mausoleum, whether open or closed-type, is subject to inventory and Company regulations.  The incorporation of bone boxes or columbary niches in the mausoleum is allowed and comfort rooms are allowed to be built inside the mausoleum..They are classified into the following:

  • Junior Estate (24 lots) – an open type of mausoleum that may contain not more than six above ground tombs, while a closed structure may contain up to 12 above ground tombs. A comfort room is allowed inside the mausoleum.
  • Garden Estate (15 lots) – may construct a memorial structure or mausoleum which shall not exceed 35% of the property size and not more than 3 m. in height.
  • Prestige Estate – measuring 6 m. x 7.32 m. (43.92 sq. m.) with 18 single tiered lots. Construction of the mausoleum’s height must not exceed 3 m.. A maximum of 4 niches and a comfort room is allowed inside the mausoleum.
  • Senior Estate – Measuring 9 m. x 9.76 m. (87.84 sq. m.) with 36 single tiered lots. Constructions of mausoleum is allowed but not to exceed 50% of the property. Mausoleum’s height must not exceed 5 m.. A comfort room is allowed inside the mausoleum.
  • Premier Estate.(96 lots) – construction of this mausoleum shall not exceed 5 m. in height. An open structure may contain a maximum of 20 above-ground tombs while a closed one may contain a maximum of 40 above ground tombs. A comfort room is allowed inside the mausoleum.

The Parthenon-like Po Family Mausoleum

The largest mausoleum in the park is a huge, multi-column mausoleum, reminiscent of the Greek Parthenon (an ancient temple dedicated to goddess Athena), sitting on a 1,383-sq. m. land or about 500 lots and said to be owned by Po family. In front is a short, Egyptian-inspired obelisk.

In front of the mausoleum is an Egyptian-style obelisk surrounded by statues of female figures. The pediment depicts scenes in the life of Christ, notably his Resurrection

The Memorial Memorial Park is the burial site of notable Filipino individuals which includes a president, four senators, a Cabinet secretary, 2 city mayors, a number of actors, a noted fashion designer and a world champion boxer.

The author at the Aquino Mausoleum. My guess is this is a basic unit consisting of 12 contiguous lots with option to construct 2 above ground tombs with back wall and overhang type of roofing. All sides of the structure are open. Cory Aquino tomb is on the left and Ninoy Aquino is on the right

Yuchengco Family Mausoleum

Manila Memorial Park – Sucat: Dr. A. Santos Avenue,  Sucat, Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines. Tel: (02) 820-2392 and (02) 820-1577.  Fax: (02) 826-3917.

How to Get There: From South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), take Sucat exit. Go towards the direction of Baclaran/Airport. Manila Memorial Park-Sucat is on the left side.

Zōjō-ji Temple (Tokyo, Japan)

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Zojo-ji Temple

It was our fourth day in Tokyo and, after breakfast at the hotel, we visited the San’en-zan Zōjō-ji (三縁山増上寺), a Jōdo-shū Buddhist temple located in the Shiba neighborhood of Minato.  The main temple of the Jōdo-shū (“Pure Land”) Chinzei sect of Buddhism in the Kantō region, it was founded in 1393 as the sect’s eastern Japan seminary.

Daimon Main Gate

During the Edo period, Zōjō-ji, together with Kan’ei-ji, were notable for their relationship with the Tokugawa clan, the rulers of Japan.  Zōjō-ji was the Tokugawa‘s family temple and six of the 15 Tokugawa shoguns were buried in the Taitoku-in Mausoleum in the temple grounds. Kazu-no-Miya Chikako, Tokugawa Iemochi’s wife, is also buried in Zozo-ji. Tokugawa Ieyasu had the temple moved, first to Hibiya and then, in 1598, at the time of expansion of Edo Castle, to its present location.

Approaching the Sangedatsumon

With the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate, the grounds took on the character of a public park. Parts of the former grounds of the temple are now occupied by a park and two hotels. The 65-hectare Shiba Park, Japan’s oldest public park (designated as such in 1873), is built around the temple, with the Tokyo Tower standing beside it.

Shiba Park

At its peak, the temple grounds covered an area of 826,000 sq. m. and contained 48 subsidiary temples, over 3000 priests and 150 temple schools but, following the decline of Buddhism during the Meiji period (1868-1912), the temple’s original buildings, temples, mausoleums and the cathedral were destroyed by fire, natural disasters or burned in air raids during the Bombing of Tokyo in World War II.

Tokyo Tower

After the war, reconstruction began.  In 2015, a Treasure Gallery was opened on the underground level of the Daiden.  Currently, it houses paintings of Kanō Kazunobu and a model of the Taitoku-in Mausoleum. Additional graves are located in the cemetery behind the Daiden.

A concrete myojin-style torii just to the right of the daibonsho

From our hotel, we walked to the nearby Akasaka-Mitsuke Station and took the short, 12-min train ride to the Hamamatsucho Station on the JR Yamanote and JR Keihin-Tohoku Line. The temple was a 10-min. walk from the station. It is the first indication that we have reached Zojo-ji Temple is the Daimon Gate, the concrete reconstruction of original main gate of Zojo-ji destroyed during World War II. As it is now located along a street, cars pass underneath it.

Sangedatsumon

About 200 m. past the Daemon Gate is the temple’s  famous, 21 m. (69 ft.) high, 17.6 m. deep and 28.7 m. wide, 2-storey Sangedatsumon (仏殿), which serves as the inner main gate.  San means “three,” gedatsu means moksha or liberation/freedom, and mon means “gate.” Dating from 1622, it is the temple’s only original structure to survive the Second World War and is, therefore, the oldest wooden building in Tokyo. It has been designated an Important Cultural Property.

Entering the temple via the Kuromon (Black Gate)

The majestic and magnificent, vermilion lacquered gate was designed in three sections to symbolize the three stages that one must pass through to achieve nirvana. If someone passes through the gate, he can free himself from the three passions of greed (貪 Ton), hatred (瞋 Shin) and foolishness (癡 Chi).

Bryan, Grace, Jandy, Kyle and Cheska at the Ji-unkaku Hall

On the upper floor of the gate are enshrined an image of Gautama Buddha (Shakyamuni), flanked by Samantabhadra and Manjusri (two attendant bodhisattvas), and statues of the Sixteen Arhats (disciples of the Buddha), all created by Buddhist image sculptors of Kyoto when Zojo-ji was built.

Image of Shoso Shonin

We entered the temple via the  Kuromon (Black Gate) which dates back to the mid to late 17th century. Immediately to the left is the Ji-unkaku Hall.  It has a multi-purpose hall on the ground floor.  A long flight of stairs brought us to the Kaisando on the second floor.  It enshrines an image of  Shoso Shonin, the founder of Zojo-ji.

Daiden (Main Hall)

The Daiden (Great Hall), rebuilt in 1974, is a blend of traditional Buddhist temple architecture and modern architecture. It enshrines the main image (honzon)  of the Amida Yosai Buddha which was made during the Muromachi Period (1336-1573).  To the right of the Amida Buddha is an image of Great Teacher Shandao, who perfected China’s Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism), while at its left is an image of Honen Shonin (who founded Japan’s Jodo Shu).

The author beside the Shoro (Bell Tower)

Other structures within the grounds include the Ankokuden, the Kyozo (Sutra Repository), the Shoro (bell tower), Enko Daishi Hall and Koshoden. The Enko Daishi Hall enshrines Enko-daishi, another name of Honen, who is the sect founder of Jodo Buddhism.  The Dai-Nokotsudo (or Shariden), made with stone in 1933, is where the bones of the deceased are stored.

Bryan, Kyle and Cheska at the Dai-Nokotsudo (Shariden)

The Koshoden, a lecture hall and seminary for “cleansing soul and fostering the vigor to live,” has a coffered ceiling features pictures of flowering plants, donated by 120 pious Japanese artists and fitted into coffers.

Ankokuden Hall

The Ankokuden, located to the right of the Main Hall of  the temple, was built in 2010.  It enshrines the Black Image of Amida Buddha, a Buddhist image deeply worshiped by Tokugawa Ieyasu which brings victory and wards off evil.

Interior of Ankokuden Hall

The hall is also used as a prayer hall. The image is shown to the public 3 times a year (January 15, May 15 and September 15).

Black Image of Amida Buddha

The Kyozo, built in 1613 with financial aid from Tokugawa Ieyasu, serves as a storehouse where sutras (important cultural documents) are stored on red, octagonal-shaped revolving bookshelves at its center. It has a thick wall to resist fire and its door is usually closed. The Kyozo has also been designated as an Important Cultural Property by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

The Kyozo

The Shoro, just inside the grounds on the right after you enter the Sangedatsumon gate, houses the daibonsho, a huge 15-ton bell completed in 1673 (after repeating casting work as many as seven times).

Daibonsho

With a diameter of 1.76 m. and a height of 3.33 m., it chimes the hours and is tolled twice a day (six times each in the early morning and in the evening).  Renowned as one of the “Three Great Bells of the Edo Period,” it serves to purify the 180 earthly passions (bonno), which lead people astray, through an exhortation, repeated six times a day, to profound equanimity.

The Himalayan cedar tree planted by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant

A Himalayan cedar tree, between the Daibonsho bell and the Sangedatsumon gate, was planted by General Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States, when he visited the temple as a guest of the nation in 1879.

Sentai Kosodate Jizo (Unborn Children Garden)

The Sentai Kosodate Jizo (Unborn Children Garden), in one particular garden at the cemetery, has rows of 1,000 jizou stone statues of children representing unborn children (miscarried, aborted, or stillborn), lined up about 30 m. long and each wearing a red knitted hat and holding a small colorful windmill that spin around as the wind blows, creating a beautiful scenery.

Prayer Wall

Here, parents can choose a statue in the garden and decorate it with small clothing and toys. To ensure that they are brought to the afterlife, the statues are usually accompanied with a small gift for Jizō, the guardian of unborn children. Occasionally, stones, meant to ease the journey to the afterlife, are piled by the statue.

Incense Burner

Annual events held in the temple are Hatsumode (New Year’s visit) in January; Kurohonzon Prayer Ceremony on January 15; the Setsubun Tsuina-shiki/Nehan Ceremony (Nirvana Day) in February; the Spring Higan Ceremony in March; the Gyoki Ceremony/Buddha’s Birthday (Flower Festival) in April; the Kurohonzon Prayer Ceremony on May 15; the O-bon/Kaisan-ki/Bon Odori in July; the Peace Prayer Ceremony in August; the Autumn Higan Ceremony/Takigi Noh in September; the Kurohonzon Prayer Ceremony on September 15; the Juya Hoyo (Ten Nights of Prayer) in November; and the Jodo Ceremony (Bodhi Day)/Butsumyo Ceremony/Joya no Kane (New Year’s Eve Bell Ringing) in December. Monthly events include the Sutra copying, on the 14th (except July and August) of each month and the Betsuji Nembutsu on the 24th of each month.

Gate of the Tokugawa Mausoleum

In popular culture, the Zōjō-ji Temple was depicted multiple times, during the 1920s and 30s, in the art work of the Shin hanga artist Kawase Hasui.  It was also shown in several ukiyo-e prints by Hiroshige, in particular twice in his famous One Hundred Famous Views of Edo series from 1856–1858.

Zojo-ji Temple as seen in the movie Wolverine (photo: www.tokyofox.net)

Rila Fukushima (Yukio) and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) – photo (www.tokyofox.net)

In the 2013 movie ‘‘The Wolverine,”  Zojo-ji Temple’s mail hall was used for Logan’s (Hugh Jackman) old friend Mr.Yashida ‘s (Hal Yamanouchi) funeral. Though badly damaged in World War II, Zojo-ji still retains the air of a major temple.

Cemetery at the back of the temple

Zōjō-ji Temple:  4 Chome-7-35 Shibakoen, Minato, Tokyo 105-0011, Japan.  Tel: (81)3-3432-1431. Website: www.zojoji.or.jp.  There is no admission fee for visitors to enter the temple complex. Treasure Gallery Museum Admission: JP¥700. Though the temple grounds are always open, the temple itself is only open from 6 AM to 5:30 PM. While not immediately obvious, the temple grounds are somewhat wheelchair accessible if entering from the side street instead of the main gate. The best time to visit the temple is late March or early April (for the beautiful cherry blossoms) or autumn (for the colorful leaves). In the evening, you can admire the temple with an illuminated Tokyo Tower in the background.

How to Get There: The entrance is at a 10-minute walk from Hamamatsucho Station on the JR Yamanote and Keihin-Tōhoku Lines, a 6-min. walk from Daimon Station on the Toei Asakusa and Toei Oedo Lines, a 3-min. walk from Onarimon and Shibakoen Stations on the Toei Mita Line, and about 500 m. from the Shibakoen exit of the Shuto Expressway. If you are getting there from Daimon Station, there is a big gate of the Zojo-ji Temple, located in front of the station, which will lead you straight to the front gate of the temple.

Ermita Ruins (Dimiao, Bohol)

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The Ermita Ruins

Part of the Panglao Bluewater Resort-sponsored CountrysideTour

The 1,000 sq. m. ruins of the Spanish-era Ermita (Spanish for “church” or “hermitage”), situated parallel to the nave of the Church of St. Nicholas Tolentine, are the ruins of a coralline limestone structure built between 1800 and 1815 by Fr. Enrique de Santo de Villanueva. During the Spanish period, people were not allowed to hold wakes in their houses so they took their dead to Ermita instead.

It was allegedly used as a military fortress, a chapel and a burial site for members of the Spanish clergy. In 1844, due to its proximity to the church (which was deemed unhealthy), the cemetery was closed by Fr. Manuel Carasusan

In 1995 and 1998, archaeological excavations were done by the National Museum in a quest to uncover its mysterious past. At this burial site, the researchers discovered skeletons buried facing east, not properly arranged but just laid on top of each other (suggesting there was a mass burial), and human teeth remains (showing a tooth-filing tradition), suggesting a functioning cemetery.

However, they were surprised at not finding any remains in the small ossuaries or bone niches because these were considered “secondary” burial sites, which could be a carryover from the ancient Boholano practice of secondary burial. The bones found during excavation were transferred to the municipal cemetery. Every November 1 (All Saints Day), a mass is held inside Ermita Ruins for the souls of those buried there.

Ruins of the small church

On July 30, 2011, the St. Nicolas of Tolentine Church Complex, including Ermita Ruins, was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum.

A honeycomb of burial niches

Closely resembling Paco Cemetery, its surrounding semicircular wall has at least 700 empty tombs arranged like a honeycomb, making it the only structure unique to the Philippines. The ruin of a chapel stands at the center of the Ermita. In front of the chapel is a mound where the krus dako (big wooden cross) was displayed.

The mound where the krus dako was displayed

Ermita Ruins: St. Nicolas of Tolentine Church Complex, Dimiao, Bohol.

Bohol Tourism Office: Governor’s Mansion Compound, C.P.G. Ave. North, Tagbilaran City, 6300 Bohol.  Tel: +63 38 501-9186.  E-mail: inquire@boholtourismph.com.

Panglao Bluewater Resort: Bluewater Rd., Sitio Daurong, Brgy. Danao, Panglao, 6340 Bohol.  Tel: (038) 416-0702 and (038) 416-0695 to 96. Fax: (038) 416-0697.  Email: panglao@bluewater.com.ph. Website: www.bluewaterpanglao.com.ph.  Manila sales office: Rm. 704, Cityland Herrera Tower, Rufino cor. Valera Sts., Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City, Metro Manila.  Tel: (632) 817-5751 and (632) 887-1348.  Fax: (632) 893-5391.

Copp’s Hill Burying Ground (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.)

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Copp’s Hill Burying Ground

The historic, 12,000 sq. m. (3 acre) Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, the second (and largest) cemetery in Boston (second only to the King’s Chapel Burying Ground founded in 1630), was founded on February 20, 1659. Originally named “North Burying Ground,” it is situated on land (where a wind-powered grinding mill once stood) on Copp’s Hill (named after early settler and local cobbler William Copp whose children were buried here in the 1660s) bought by the town from John Baker and Daniel Turell.

Now named “Copp’s Hill Burying Ground” (although often referred to as “Copp’s Hill Burial Ground”), it is the final resting place of over 10,000 people (buried between 1660 and 1968) and contains more than 2,200 marked graves (60% of which date to before the American Revolution), including the remains of various notable Bostonians (29 Boston Tea Party participants and 43 Revolutionary War veterans) from the Colonial Era into the 1850s.

On January 7, 1708, the cemetery was extended when the town bought additional land from Judge Samuel Sewall and his wife Hannah (part of a  pasture which she inherited from her father, John Hull, master of the mint).  On June 17, 1775, because of its height and panoramic vista, the British used this vantage point on the southwest side to establish earthworks and train their North Battery cannons on Charlestown during the Battle of Bunker Hill. Legend has it that British troops used gravestones for target practice (many have interpreted the round scars of the Capt. Daniel Malcolm grave marker to be the result of musket balls being shot at close range).

On December 18, 1809, it was further extended when the town bought, for US$10,000, additional land from Benjamin Weld and his wife Nabby after they had bought it from Jonathan Merry, who had used it as pasture.  Ten years later, Charles Wells (later mayor of Boston) bought a small parcel of land from John Bishop of Medford which he used as a cemetery. Later, this was merged with the adjacent North Burying Ground. It is no longer possible to discern the original boundaries of the cemetery because of this complicated history.

Along the Snow Hill Street side, in a potter’s field, are many unmarked graves of more than 1,000 free  African Americans who lived in the questionably named “New Guinea” community at the foot of the hill. In addition, there are 227 tombs, most of which bear inscriptions that are still legible. In addition, the grave markers and their epitaphs of thousands of artisans and tradesmen buried here reflect the nature of the 17th and 18th century economy of the North End.

Prince Hall Memorial

Reputedly, the oldest grave stone is that of Grace Berry, wife of Thomas Berry, who according to the inscription, died May 17, 1625 (5 years before Boston was settled). The well preserved stone is of old Welsh slate with quite distinct carving; the edges are ornamented with curves and at the top are carved two cherubs and the angel of death.

Grace Berry Tomb

The tomb erected by Isaac Dupee, perhaps the most ornate monument in the ground, bears a beautifully carved coat-of-arms, together with a tribute in verse.

Isaac Dupee Tomb

The town continued to maintain the site intermittently but, by 1840, the cemetery had fallen into near disuse and, by 1878, it was badly neglected. When the Freedom Trail  created in 1951, the cemetery was not an official stop but it has since been added and is now much-frequented by tourists and photographers. In 1974, the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Now owned by the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department, it is part of the Historic Burying Grounds Initiative.

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Michael Malcom Grave stone

Notable persons buried here include:

Copp’s Hill Burying Ground: 21 Hull St. cor. Snowhill St., Boston, 02113 Massachusetts, U.S.A. Tel: 617-635-4505.  Open daily. 10 AM  – 5 PM.

Granary Burying Ground (Boston, Massachussetts, U.S.A.)

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Granary Burying Ground

The Granary Burying Ground, the city’s third-oldest cemetery, dates to 1660. A major stop in our Freedom Trail Tour, it is steps away from Boston Common and is shadowed by the towering skyscrapers of the city’s Financial District (however, just a few moments here made me forget that I was in the center of a large city). It was Independence Day when Jandy and I visited and the graves of famous personalities buried there where marked with US flags and floral wreaths. Guides, in American Colonial attire, were busy touring visitors around the cemetery.

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The Egyptian Revival-style gate

This cemetery is the final resting place of many notable Revolutionary War-era patriots such as Paul Revere (pedestal-shaped gravestone behind the Franklin Memorial) , the five victims (including African-American Crispus Attucks) of the March 5, 1770 Boston Massacre (in a common grave near the Tremont Street entrance) and three signers of the Declaration of Independence – Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Robert Treat Paine (at the side of a brick wall).

Lady guide, in American Colonial attire, touring visitors around the cemetery

As such, because of its historical connections, this quiet but fascinating, tree-filled, shade-dappled ground has been sometimes called the “Westminster Abbey” of Boston. After 1856, most burials were prohibited here.

Tomb of John Hancock

The cemetery, adjacent to Park Street Church and immediately across from Suffolk University Law School, has 2,345 grave-markers and 204 tombs but historians estimate that as many as 5,000 people are buried in it.  The reason for this is that, to save money and space, many of the graves have multiple bodies buried, four deep, under one headstone, something that was common in most old burial grounds.

The pedestal-shaped tomb of Paul Revere

Formerly known as the New Burying Ground and South Burying Ground, in 1737 it took on the name of the Old Town Granary, the granary building which stood on the site of the present-day Park Street Church. An attempt was also made to change the name to “Franklin Cemetery,” to honor the family of Benjamin Franklin, but the effort failed.

The Franklin Memorial

The cemetery’s striking and imposing but decidedly uncolonial Egyptian Revival iron gate and fence along Tremont Street, designed in 1840 by Boston sculptor and architect Isaiah Rogers (the supervising architect of the Ohio State House, he also designed an identical gate for Newport’s Touro Cemetery and the Bunker Hill Monument), was built at a cost of US$5,000 (half paid by the city and half by public subscription).

Samuel Adams Tomb

A 21-ft. high obelisk, constructed with granite from the Bunker Hill Monument quarry and dedicated on June 15, 1827, was erected to replace the original gravestones (which had been in poor condition) of the parents and relatives of Benjamin Franklin (he was born in Boston but is buried in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Josiah Franklin, Franklin’s father, was originally from Ecton, Northamptonshire, England while his mother, Abiah (Josiah’s second wife), was born in Nantucket.

Robert Treat Paine Tomb

The second oldest memorial, for John Wakefield (who died on June 18, 1667, aged 52), lies near the Franklin monument. Many of the 17th century grave stones are carved with elaborate letters, death’s heads, and fruits of paradise.  The oldest grave stone, that of the children of Andrew Neal, was carved by the ‘Charlestown Carver’ and dates to 1666.

Children of Andrew Neal Tomb

Other prominent people buried here include:

Common grave of the 5 victims of the Boston Massacre

Granary Burying Ground: Tremont Street an Bloomfield Street, Boston MA 02108, Massachusetts. Open daily, 9 AM – 5PM. Tel: 617-635-4505.  Admission is free. To keep the burial ground protected, please make sure you stay on the designated paths.

How to Get There: If you are arriving by public transportation, take the Red and Green Lines/Park Street, the closest T station, to Boston Common and walk northeast on Tremont Street towards the Park St Church. Past the church you’ll find the Granary Burial Ground.

Freedom Trail (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.)

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Bunker Hill Monument

The iconic Freedom Trail, a unique collection of explanatory ground markers, museums, notable churches, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks, a historic naval frigate, and historic markers that tell the story of the American Revolution and beyond, is a 2.5-mile (4-km.) long path through downtown Boston, Massachusetts, that passes by 16 locations significant to the history of the United States. Marked largely with brick, it winds between Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown.

Old State House

Old North Church

Park Street Church

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Overseen by the City of Boston’s Freedom Trail Commission, the Freedom Trail is supported, in part, by grants from various nonprofits and foundations, private philanthropy, and Boston National Historical Park.

Copp’s Hill Burying Ground

Granary Burying Ground

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While most of the sites are free or suggest donations, the Old South Meeting House, the Old State House, and the Paul Revere House charge an admission fee.

Boston Common

Author and son Jandy at Boston Massacre Site

In 1951, local journalist William Schofield suggested building a pedestrian trail to link important local landmarks and Boston mayor John Hynes decided to put Schofield’s idea into action.

Faneuil Hall

Massachusetts State House

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The official trail sites are (generally from south-to-north):

  1. Boston Common (139 Tremont St.) – dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the city.
  2. Massachusetts State House – designed by noted architect Charles Bulfinch and completed in 1798, it the state capitol and seat of government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
  3. Park Street Church – built in 1809, it is an active Conservative Congregational church in Downtown Boston
  4. Granary Burying Ground – Boston’s third-oldest cemetery, founded in 1660,it is the final resting place for many notable Revolutionary War-era patriots, including Paul Revere, the five victims of the Boston Massacre, and three signers of the Declaration of Independence: Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Robert Treat Paine.
  5. King’s Chapel and Burying Ground – completed in 1754, the chapel is one of the finest designs of the noted colonial architect Peter Harrison.  The Burying Ground is the oldest cemetery in the city.
  6. Benjamin Franklin statue and former site of Boston Latin School
  7. Old Corner Bookstore
  8. Old South Meeting House (where the Boston Tea Party began in 1773) – 310 Washington St, Boston, MA 02108, USA. Open 9:30 AM – 5 PM. Admission: adults (US$5), children under 5 years are free.
  9. Old State House (the original seat of colonial government & later state capitol, today housing historical exhibits) – 206 Washington St, Boston, MA 02109, USA. Open 9 AM – 5 PM. Admission: adults (US$10), children 6-18 years are free.
  10. Site of the Boston Massacre – site of a confrontation, on March 5, 1770, in which British soldiers shot and killed several people while being harassed by a mob
  11. Faneuil Hall – a marketplace (open 11AM -7PM) and a meeting hall since 1743, it was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain.
  12. Paul Revere House – the colonial home (for about 20 years) of famous legendary American patriot, famous “Midnight Rider,” silversmith, businessman and entrepreneur Paul Revere during the time of the American Revolution
  13. Old North Church – built in December 1723, itis the location from which the famous “One if by land, and two if by sea” signal is said to have been sent.
  14. Copp’s Hill Burying Ground – established in 1659, it is the city’s second cemetery.
  15. USS Constitution (interactive museum near the 1797 wooden frigate made famous as “Old Ironsides” in the War of 1812) – Building 22, Charlestown Navy Yard, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. Open 9 AM – 6 PM. Admission: suggested donation of US$5-$10 for adults, US$3-$5 for children.
  16. Bunker Hill Monument – erected between 1825 and 1843,commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill, which was among the first major battles between British and Patriot forces in the American Revolutionary War, fought there June 17, 1775.

The Black Heritage Trail crosses the Freedom Trail between the Massachusetts State House and Park Street Church. The Boston Irish Famine Memorial is also located along the Freedom Trail.

King’s Chapel

Paul Revere House

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The National Park Service, via a visitor’s center, offer tours, provide free maps of the Freedom Trail and other historic sites, and sell books about Boston and United States history.

USS Constitution

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Boston Common Visitor’s Center: 139 Tremont St., Boston, Massachusetts 02111.  Website: www.thefreedomtrail.org. Open Mondays –Fridays, 8:30 AM – 5PM, and Saturdays & Sundays,
9AM – 5PM.

The Copley Place Visitor Information Center: Copley Place Mall (center court), 100 Huntington Ave., Boston, Massachusetts  02116.  Open Mondays – Saturdays, 9AM – 8PM, and Sundays, 9AM – 6PM.

Medici Chapels – The New Sacristy (Florence, Italy)

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New Sacristy (Sagrestia Nuova)

The Sagrestia Nuova (“New Sacristy”), intended by Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici (future Pope Clement VII) and his cousin Pope Leo X as a mausoleum or mortuary chapel for members of the Medici family (his uncle Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother Giuliano; Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino; and Giuliano, Duke of Nemours), balances Brunelleschi‘s Sagrestia Vecchia (“Old Sacristy”), nestled between the left transept of the Basilica of San Lorenzo (with which it consciously competes) and shares its format of a cubical space surmounted by a dome, of gray pietra serena and whitewashed walls.

In the passage leading to the New Sacristy are two military trophies (trofeus militares) executed by Silvio Cosini, a further close pupil of Michelangelo.  They were part of the early project for the decoration (which included decorative grotteschi decoration and masks) of the New Sacristy, which was left unfinished in 1534 due to Michelangelo’s definitive move to Rome.

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Military Trophies (Troféus Militares) by Silvio Cosini

The chapel, the first essay in architecture (1519–24)  of Michelangelo (who also designed its monuments dedicated to certain members of the Medici family), features the sculptural figures of the four times of day that were destined to influence sculptural figures reclining on architraves for many generations to come.

Altar

The Sagrestia Nuova was entered by a discreet but now closed entrance in a corner of San Lorenzo’s right transept.

The sacristy’s dome partly inspired by the Pantheon in Rome

This magnificent cubic space is covered by a hemispherical dome topped by a lantern, whose design was inspired partly by the Pantheon in Rome.

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Tomb of Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici which includes the sculptures Dusk and Dawn, with the pensive duke sitting in a niche above in a meditative manner

By 1524, it was vaulted over but the ambitious projects of its sculpture and the intervention of events (the temporary exile of the Medici in 1527, the death of  Pope Clement VII and the permanent departure of Michelangelo for Rome in 1534) meant that Michelangelo never finished it.

Duskl ooks sleepy, as if ready to fall into a peaceful sleep

Dawn seem like it is just awaking from slumber

By the time of Michelangelo’s departure, most of the statues had been carved but they had not been put in place, being left in disarray across the chapel. Later, in 1545, they were installed by Niccolò Tribolo. By order of Cosimo I, Giorgio Vasari and Florentine architect Bartolomeo Ammannati finished the work by 1555.

Tomb of Giuliano di Lorenzo de’ Medici decorated with the sculptures of a reclining Day and Night, made between 1526 and 1531. Both allegories are said to reflect Giuliano’s personality, prudent but ready to act, and indeed his statue sitting above the sarcophagus, sculpted as a Roman mercenary, lends credence to this portrayal.

Four Medici tombs were intended to be built but those of Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother Giuliano were never begun. As a result, the two existing magnificent tombs, with the four statues of the allegories of Dawn and Dusk, Night (placed at the right foot of Giuliano, it is regarded as one of Michelangelo’s finest works) and Day, are those of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino and Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours, two comparatively insignificant Medici here depicted as Roman leaders.

Day is depicted as a strapping man, his face unfinished

Night is portrayed as a young, sleek woman “drenched in lunar light”

Though their architectural components are similar; their sculptures offer contrast. On an unfinished wall, Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child flanked by Saints Cosmas and Damian (the Medici patrons), executed by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli and Raffaello da Montelupo (both of whom were pupils of Michelangelo) respectively, to Michelangelo’s models, are set over the plain rectangular tomb of Lorenzo the Magnificent. His brother Giuliano de Medici is modestly buried beneath the altar at the entrance wall.  Both were brought to the sacristy in 1559.

Statues of Madonna and Child flanked by Saints Cosmas and Damian over the tomb of Lorenzo the Magnificent

In 1976, numerous charcoal drawings and sketches executed on walls, thought to be 16th century Michelangelo originals, were discovered in a small space in a concealed corridor beneath the apse and sacristies of the New Sacristy.

Crowning Lantern (Giovanni di Baldassare)

The 56 drawings show legs, feet, heads and masks, and may be related to the statues and architecture of the sacristy. From two small side rooms, go beyond the Crowning Lantern in the room on the right to see two of these charcoal drawings.

Michaelangelo Charcoal Drawings

Medici Chapels: Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini 6 (at the back of the Basilica of San Lorenzo), Florence, Italy. Open daily, 8:15 AM to 2 PM (ticket office closes at 1:20 PM). Closed on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month and 1st, 3rd and 5th Monday of every month as well as New Year’s Day, May 1 and Christmas.  Admission: €8,00.  Free entry for all visitors on the first Sunday of every month between October and March.

Medici Chapels – Chapel of the Princes (Florence, Italy)

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Jandy at the Chapel of the Princes (Capella dei Principi)

The larger, opulent Chapel of the Princes (Cappella dei Principi), a true expression of court art and a rare example in Florence of the Baroque style, was the result of collaboration among architects and family.  An idea formulated by Cosimo I in the 16th century, it was put into effect by Ferdinand I de’ Medici in the early 17th century (1604 to 1640).

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The author beside the Sarcophagus of Francesco I

The chapel was designed by architect  Matteo Nigetti (1560-1649), following some sketches tendered to an informal competition of 1602 by Don Giovanni de’ Medici, the natural son of Cosimo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany who practiced architecture in a semi-professional way, which were altered in the execution by the aged Bernardo Buontalenti.

The cahpel’s altar

The huge, beautiful cupola and lavish interior of this mausoleum were conceived as monuments to the greatness of the Medici. The chapel’s tall, 59 m. (185-ft.) high dome, the distinguishing feature of the Basilica of San Lorenzo when seen from a distance, is on the same axis as the nave and chancel to which it provides the equivalent of an apsidal chapel. From the exterior, its entrance is in Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini and through the low vaulted crypt planned by Bernardo Buontalenti (before plans for the chapel above were made).

Sarcophagus of Cosimo I

Its sumptuous, jaw-dropping octagonal interior, conceived to hold the grand ducal tombs, is completely covered with hard stones or marble, mainly of foreign origin.  The six grand and princely sarcophagi (all empty as the Medici remains are unceremoniously laid to rest in the crypt below), with cenotaphs carved in porphyry and grey granite, are each set into a different wall and embellished with a dedicatory inscription and a grand-ducal crown.

Sarcophagus of Cosimo II

They were supposed to have bronze statues of the Grand Dukes (Cosimo I, Francesco I, Ferdinando I, Cosimo II, Ferdinando II, and Cosimo III) set into niches but only two (for Ferdinando I and Cosimo II) of the niches have portrait sculptures of Medici, both executed by Pietro Tacca (1626–42). The dado has 16 compartments with coats-of-arms of Tuscan cities under Medici control.

Sarcophagus of Cosimo III

The Opificio delle Pietre Dure (Semi-Precious Stones Workshop), the Grand Ducal hardstone workshop, was established for the execution (which lasted for three centuries) of its astonishing revetment of marbles inlaid with colored marbles and hard semi-precious stone. To form the designs of the revetment that entirely cover the walls, jig-sawn fragments of specimen stones assembled via the art of commessi, as it was called in Florence.

Sarcophagus of Ferdinando II

On account of the difficulty of obtaining such rare materials as well as difficulties of working the materials and their very high cost, the process of covering the walls, mainly carried out in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, was fraught with problems.

Sarcophagus of Ferdinando I

The inlay of semi-precious stones wasn’t finished until 1962. Many 18th- and 19th-century visitors disapproved of the result but, today, it has come to be appreciated for an example of the taste of its time.

Sarcophagus of Francesco I

The cupola originally should have had an internal covering of lapis lazuli but, at the end of the Medici period, was left incomplete.  In 1828, at the command of Grand Duke Leopold II of the then reigning house of Lorraine, it was frescoed, with scenes from the Old and New Testaments, by Pietro Benvenuti.

The chapel’s cupola frescoed with scenes from the Old and New Testament

Medici Chapels: Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini 6 (at the back of the Basilica of San Lorenzo), Florence, Italy. Open daily, 8:15 AM to 2 PM (ticket office closes at 1:20 PM). Closed on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month and 1st, 3rd and 5th Monday of every month as well as New Year’s Day, May 1 and Christmas.  Admission: €8,00.  Free entry for all visitors on the first Sunday of every month between October and March.