CHAPTER IV

TOURISM ATTRACTIONS
TOURISM ATTRACTIONS IN THE BARANGAY
FORT SANTIAGO

The former military headquarters of the Spanish colonial government. Although the fort
sustained very heavy damage during the 1945 Battle of Manila, several key portions of
the compound were subsequently restored - including its iconic gate with a wooden relief
featuring Santiago Matamoros (St. James the Moor-slayer), the patron saint of Spain. It is
now considered a major landmark and one of Manila's most popular tourist attractions,
partly because Jos Rizal - the national hero of the Philippines - was imprisoned here
prior to his execution on 30 Dec 1896. The Rizal Shrine (see Museums, below), a small
museum dedicated to his life and work, is housed in a restored section of one of the fort's
former barracks. 75, 50 students/children

Postigo del Palacio

Santa Lucia (a
short distance
from the back of
the Palacio del
Gobernador). Buil
t in 1662,
renovated 178283. On 30 Dec
1896, national hero
Jos Rizal was
taken through this gate en route to the place of his execution, in what is known today
as Rizal Park
Baluarte de San Diego

Santa
Lucia cor.
Muralla, Dat
ing from the
17th century,
this
formidable
bastion
in Manila.

Severely damaged during the Second World War, the Baluarte de San Diego was restored
in the 1980s and is now a major tourist attraction.

Puerta de Isabel

Magallanes Drive (near Colegio de

San Juan de Letrn). Built in 1861, this
was the last gate to be opened in
Intramuros' walls under Spanish rule. A
fine statue of Queen Isabel II of Spain stands in front of the gate.
Plaza de Roma

General Luna (Calle Real del Palacio) cor. Andres Soriano (Aduana) (in front of
Manila Cathedral), . Bounded by the Manila Cathedral to the southeast, the Palacio del
Gobernador to the southwest and the Ayuntamiento to the northeast, this small plot of
fland is Intramuros' very own plaza mayor (main square). At the centre of the plaza
stands a monument to King Carlos IV of Spain, cast in 1808 and erected in 1824 by a
colonial government grateful for his having dispatched a shipment of smallpox vaccine to
the Philippines.

Ayuntamiento

Andres Soriano (Aduana) cor. Cabildo (right next to Plaza de Roma), . Completely
rebuilt in 1884 after the disastrous earthquake of 1863, the seat of Manila's colonial-era
city council once had some of the grandest interiors in Intramuros. The 1945 Battle of
Manila left it a gutted shell, of which only parts of the first storey survived; it then
suffered the indignity of serving as a parking lot. A major reconstruction project that
started a few years ago is finally nearing completion, with the facade of the historic
building now having regained much of its prewar glory
Palacio del
Gobernador

General Luna

(Calle Real del Palacio) cor. Andres Soriano (Aduana) (right next to Plaza de
Roma), This eight-storey office building was erected in the late 1970s on the site of the
Spanish Governor-General's official residence, which was destroyed in a powerful
1863 earthquake that also damaged many other structures in Intramuros. Sadly, the
hulking modern building looks almost nothing like its grand 19th-century namesake.
MINOR BASILICA OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION (MANILA CATHEDRAL)
Destroyed and rebuilt several times over, the Cathedral is the seat of the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Manila and one of the most important churches in the
Philippines. The current Neo-Romanesque iteration (consecrated in 1958) is the eighth or sixth, depending on who's counting - to stand on the site since 1581, succeeding the
19th-century structure that was levelled to the ground during the 1945 Battle of Manila. A
small exhibit detailing the Cathedral's history can be found in one of the side chapels near
the entrance. Masses are offered daily; refer to the official website for a full schedule of
liturgical services. Free, but donations are appreciated. On February 2012, church
authorities announced the temporary closure of the Cathedral (effective 7th February) in
order to make way for urgent structural repairs. It was reopened to the public on April
2014 after undergoing extensive architectural restoration and rehabilitation. The reopened
Cathedral also features an enhanced sound, video, and lighting system

SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH

A true
Spanish Baroque
treasure, with
magnificent
trompe-l'il
ceilings and a
splendid high
altar.
Consecrated in
1607, this
ancient building
managed to
survive the
Second World
War (although it,
too, sustained
heavy damage)
and is said to be
the oldest stone
church currently standing in the Philippines. It was added to the UNESCO World
Heritage List in 1993 as part of the group "Baroque Churches of the Philippines". Miguel
Lpez de Legazpi (1502-1572), the first Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines, is
buried in a tomb near the high altar; other funerary monuments can be found along the

walls or set into the floor. Much of San Agustn's neighbouring monastery was damaged
during the war and was subsequently refashioned into exhibition space for the San
Agustn Museum . The church is a very popular venue for weddings; don't be surprised
if you encounter a ceremony in progress during your visit. Church itself is free, but
visiting the adjacent museum requires a paid ticket

CASA MANILA

A recreation of a typical upper-class colonial Intramuros home. The interiors are filled
with antique furniture, artwork, and other artifacts from the Spanish era, all carefully
arranged to illustrate what life was like for wealthy families of that period. 75, 50
students/children
LIGHT AND SOUND MUSEUM

Using images,
sounds, and
animatronics, the
museum takes
visitors on a
journey through
Philippine history
under Spanish
rule. The facility
is housed in a
building whose
facade reproduces
the appearance
of the old
motherhouse of
the Beaterio de la
Compaa de
Jess, which
stood on the site
until its
destruction during
the Second World
War. 100 per
person for groups of 10 or more; smaller groups are reportedly charged a higher perperson rate (contact the museum to confirm arrangements)

RIZAL SHRINE

Located within the walls of Fort

Santiago , this small museum
contains exhibits related to the
life and work of Jos Rizal, the
national hero of the Philippines.

SAN AGUSTIN MUSEUM

Adjacent to the San Agustn

Church , this museum's very
impressive - if rather poorly labelled - collection includes Spanish colonial-era
ecclesiastical vestments, sacred vessels, religious art, manuscripts, and other important
cultural artifacts. The building itself is steeped in history, fashioned out of the surviving
portions of a monastery that was heavily damaged during the Second World War. 100,
50 college students, 45 high-school students, 40 elementary school students.

INTENDENCIA

Built in the 1820s and reconstructed after the 1863 earthquake, this building once housed
the Spanish colonial government's customs offices and other administrative units. It was
damaged during the war but survived to re-enter government service - at one point
housing the Central Bank of the Philippines - only to fall victim to a 1979 fire that caused
massive destruction. There are plans to restore the building (whose exterior walls have
survived more or less intact) for the use of the National Archives.
SAN IGNACIO CHURCH

Built by the Jesuits and consecrated in 1889, the church's magnificent interiors were
completely destroyed in 1945. There are plans to restore the ruined building for use as an
ecclesiastical museum

TOURISM ATTRACTIONS NEAR THE BARANGAY

NATIONAL MUSEUM

(Filipino: Pambansa
ng Museo ng
Pilipinas) is a
government
institution in the
Philippines and
serves as an
educational, scientific
and cultural institution in preserving the various permanent national collections featuring
the ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological and visual artistry of the Philippines.
Since 1998, the National Museum has been the regulatory and enforcement agency of
the National Government in the restoring and safeguarding of important cultural
properties, sites and reservations throughout the Philippines.
The National Museum operates the National Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of
Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, and National Planetarium, all
located in the vicinity of Rizal Park

RIZAL PARK

also known as Luneta National Park or simply Luneta, is a historical urban park in
thePhilippines. Located along Roxas Boulevard, Manila, adjacent to the old walled city
of Intramuros, it is one of the largest urban parks in Asia. It has been a favorite leisure
spot, and is frequented on Sundays and national holidays. Rizal Park is one of the
major tourist attractions of Manila.
Situated by the Manila Bay, it is an important site in Philippine history. The execution of
national hero Jos Rizal on December 30, 1896 fanned the flames of the 1896 Philippine
Revolution against the Kingdom of Spain. The area was officially renamed Rizal Park in
his honor, and the monument enshrining his remains serves as the park's symbolic focal
point. The Declaration ofPhilippine Independence from the United States was held here
on July 4, 1946 as were later political rallies including those ofFerdinand
Marcos and Corazon Aquino in 1986 that culminated in the EDSA Revolution