Have you ever been to Fort Santiago?
According to history, Fort Santiago is a defense fortress built for Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi. The fort is part of the structures of the walled city of Intramu
ros, in Manila, Philippines. José Rizal, the Philippines' national hero, was imprisoned in the fort before his execution in 1896. Fort Santiago embodied the military might of Spanish colonial rule for over three centuries. It was occupied by British forces for a two-year period in the 18th century and by American colonial authorities after Spain surrendered the Philippines to the U.S.A in 1898. Destroyed during World War II, Fort Santiago was restored into a "Shrine of Freedom" following a 1950 governmental decree. Fort Santiago contains many points of historical interest. Fort Santiago has a savage history. Over the centuries many Filipinos were imprisoned, tortured and left to drown in the Fort's notorious dungeons, which were beneath the high tide level.
I was amazed by the beauty of the place and how it was preserved. People value cleanliness and serenity of the place. If you are the type of person who is into Spanish era thing, this is the right spot for you!It is indeed a tourist spot!
What you will find in Fort Santiago:
- Baluartillo de San Francisco Javier, built in 1663, Houses the Intramuros Visitors Center (IVC) providing information for visitors, a historical video of Intramuros and exhibit chambers.
- The Museum Shop offers the visitor items based on Intramuros antique collection, souvenir items beasring the stamp of the rich culture of Old Manila from books, fans, porcelain sets, coffee mugs, bookmarks and much more.
- Parks, Promenades and Picnic Areas have transformed this once-forbidding fortress into a relaxing place to spend a leisure day. The Rizal Shrine is a reconstruction of the colonial period barracks where patriot, Jose Rizal, was confined during his trial for sedition.
- Almacenes Reales, the Royal Storehouses, used by the colonial military forces during the Spanish, American, and Japanese Occupation.
- Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe – a quaint chapel in the Reducto de San Francisco Javier, constructed in 1773.
As a Filipino, knowing the history of the place, the nightmare of our native countrymen experienced in this place, I felt sad and sorry that they would have to go through those sacrifices for our country. I saw the dungeon, which is not open to public, the underground torture chambers that the Japanese used to torture Filipino and American soldiers. The place served as a real eye-opener to where we Filipinos came from and the atrocities that have befallen our lovely country.
