Fort Santiago: Beyond the walls

Manila, Philippines - Tucked within the walls of Intramuros, Fort Santiago is a gem in the famed walled city. Once the kuta of Rajah Soliman, the site surpasses even its own walls in history. From the precolonial to glimpses of the Spanish, American, and Japanese occupations to memorials to World War II guerillas, Fort Santiago is a concrete chronicle of Philippine history.

The main highlight of the site is definitely the Rizal Shrine, at the heart of the fort. With clean, sleek displays, the museum is a refreshing and enlightening glimpse of the national hero’s life and works, an unexpected modern and sophisticated take on the traditional old way history is usually displayed.

A Renaissance man in his own right, the many aspects of Rizal’s life are displayed in the museum – his examination tools and scientific discoveries, sculptures and art, alongside his many writings, all displayed in the Chamber of Texts, which is the first section that greets visitors as they enter the shrine.

From here, bronze footsteps trace Rizal’s final steps. Photos by Jonjon Vicencio/STAR

In another gallery, engraved into the floor is an account of Rizal’s last meeting with his female relatives, telling them to look into the lamp that he leaves them, which is also on display in the room. Here, of course, the final poem of the hero was hidden – a small sheet of paper with Rizal’s tiny, neat writing – containing Rizal’s now immortal farewell, Mi Ultimo Adios. The text is engraved on the far wall, while translations of the poem into different languages line the corridors outside, including the Filipino version translated by the late National Artist Nick Joaquin.

The highlight of the museum is the Reliquary Room where a piece of Rizal’s bone embedded with a bullet is preserved and on display, together with some overcoats of the fashionable Rizal.

The entrance to Fort Santiago (top). A horse and carriage lends a bit of fairy tale magic to the atmosphere (above).

The recreation of Rizal’s cell is another significant area of the museum, while on the walls just outside the cell, the hero’s words on patriotism are engraved in what is called The Contemplation Room, a place to reflect before viewing the cell itself.

The atmosphere evoked in this section of the museum is almost sacred, with the back wall of the cell lined with a mirror showing a statue of the hero at his desk in a corner, but at the same time giving the visitor a view of your own face as you think of the life and work of Rizal.

Various sites and scenes around the fort include old canons, The Bamboo Garden, a memorial to World War II guerillas, spacious picnic grounds, the dungeon at Baluarte de Santa Barbara.

The Rizal tour continues with a bronze trail of his last steps on the way to Bagumbayan, a project done during the celebration of the centennial of the hero’s martyrdom. Interestingly, Rizal’s statue is littered with coins and even some bills, with visitors turning the monument into a wishing well of sorts.

Other attractions inside the fort include the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe; Baluarte de Santa Barbara, a colonial period stronghold; and Almancenes Reales, storehouses used by military forces during the Spanish, American, and Japanese occupations.

Kalesa drivers await tourists just outside the gates of the fort. Visitors may also enjoy a historical tour of Intramuros on a tranvia.

The stairwell leading to the second floor of the Rizal Shrine (left). The lush greens of the park offer weary tourists respite from their historical exploration (right).

On any given day, Fort Santiago has its steady trickle of visitors: tourists of different ages, some families with young children in tow, strolling around the historical landmarks, photographers and models doing photo shoots, couples and wedding planners doing ocular inspections for their reception, groups hanging out on the picnic grounds and golfers on the green, almost oblivious of the area’s historical significance.

Visiting Fort Santiago is not only a history lesson, but more so a collage of what makes us Filipino – concrete landmarks framed by views of lush landscape, still closely in touch with the environment; memorials to heroes next to venues like parks and reception and function areas where modern Filipinos can celebrate personal landmarks in their own lives.

A statue of Rizal in a corner of his cell (left). Rizal’s literary masterpiece, Noli Me Tangere (right).

Surrounded by a moat and with a single passageway to the main entrance, Fort Santiago was possibly the strongest, most protected, part of Intramuros when it was built by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in 1571. Before that, it was Rajah Soliman’s choice settlement. During the Japanese and American occupations, the fort was again depended upon. Today, Fort Santiago remains an important part of the country’s history, bringing to life the experiences of Rizal and other heroes who have passed though its walls. Modern Filipinos and foreign visitors alike are then inspired to bring these stories of courage and heroism out into today’s world, beyond the walls of the fort.

Within its fortifications, Fort Santiago has preserved a strong spirit of history amidst the bustling city life, placing solemn memorials alongside picnic sites, putting side by side our country’s history with today’s everyday life. With the venue and ambience set, it is ultimately the curious tourist, the inquisitive student, even the unperturbed picnic goer, that keeps the legacy of Fort Santiago alive.

An urn holds a piece of the national hero’s bone in the Reliquary Room (left). An overcoat is part of the exhibit of items from Rizal’s daily life (right).

Fort Santiago is open daily at 8 a.m. Entrace fee is P75 for adults and P50 for students. Visit www.intramuros.ph for more information.