The area which is now occupied by Fort Santiago
is a natural defensive position that has been used for centuries.
Situated at the mouth of the Pasig River, which runs into
Manila Bay it is the ideal place to put fortifications to
ensure the safety of the area and to defend against the
pirates and marauders which frequented the area.
Fort
Santiago Now
Fort
Santiago has been restored and you will find most of the
areas preserved. Worth visiting inside the Fort proper is
the Rizal Shrine, the museum where you will find a replica
of Jose Rizal’s prison cell set up supposedly before
he was executed. He can also visit the dungeons in the prison
which s worth a look. The rest of Fort Santiago has been
set up into a beautiful park.
Like most attractions in Manila and anywhere
else for that matter, just describing it in writing never
does the attraction any justice. As they say a picture is
worth a thousand words and in the case of Fort Santiago
that statement could never be more true.
That
is why I put together Fort Santiago photos. The Fort Santiago
photos are large enough to get a proper look at and you
get the opportunity to feel the place.
As
you can see Fort Santiago was heavily fortified. Thick stonewalls,
moat to stop invaders and high walls to prevent access.
Yet originally when it was first built in 1571, it was made
of wood and dirt, that is until it was destroyed during
an attack in 1574.
So
they rebuilt Fort Santiago of stone as you can see and it
lasted until the Battle of Manila in 1945.
The
entrance to Fort Santiago is quite small, it leads into
another wall, which is not fortified. Beyond the arch entrance
you can see an expansive lawn, on the far side you will
find Rizal's Shrine.
The
British used Fort Santiago as it's headquarters from 1762
to 1764 and was also the headquarters to the Imperial Japanese
Army in 1942.
The
statue at the end of the lawn, which is called the Plaza
Armas, is of Dr Jose Rizal. It is a shrine of remembrance
and stands on the site where he was imprisoned.
On the
right of the photo is the Dulang Rajah Soliman, which is
now used as a theatre. The left hand side of this building
is the now chapel, then cell of Dr Jose Rizal, where he
spent his last night on earth.
This
Fort Santiago photo was taken from in front of the forts
main gateway looking out across the moat. You see the Flagpole
flying the Philippines Flag, this is in the Plaza Moriones
or the public promenade.
The public promenade is a green area quite
peaceful complete with it's own fountain.
A road
travels down both sides of the plaza and it was down the
left-hand side, as you look at the photos, that Jose Rizal
walked to his execution in what is now Rizal Park.
These
dungeons have imprisoned political activists, civilians,
revolutionaries and many others. It was here that they were
tortured and executed.
I had
a look inside the dungeons and talk about oppressive, it
makes you realise know matter how bad you think life is,
nothing would compare to being stuck in one of these dungeons.
