Manila North Cemetery

Last updated

Manila North Cemetery
65Andres Bonifacio Avenue 61.jpg
Entrance of the Manila North Cemetery
Manila North Cemetery
Details
Location
Country Philippines
Coordinates 14°37′59″N120°59′20″E / 14.633°N 120.989°E / 14.633; 120.989
TypePublic
Owned by Manila City Government
Size54 ha (130 acres)
Find a Grave Manila North Cemetery

The Manila North Cemetery (Spanish: Cementerio del Norte) is one of the oldest cemeteries in Metro Manila, Philippines. The cemetery is owned by and located in the City of Manila, the national capital, and is one of the largest in the metropolis at 54 hectares (130 acres). It is located alongside Andrés Bonifacio Avenue and borders two other important cemeteries: the La Loma Cemetery and the Manila Chinese Cemetery. Numerous impoverished families notably inhabit some of the mausoleums. [1]

Contents

History and Architecture

Aerial view of Cementerio del Norte (1928) Del Norte Cemetery (15164139030).jpg
Aerial view of Cementerio del Norte (1928)

The Manila North Cemetery was formerly part of La Loma Cemetery but was separated as an exclusively Catholic burial ground. [2] The cemetery formerly known as Cementerio del Norte [3] was laid out in 1904. [4]

The cemetery in its entirety was once called Paang Bundok, the area National Hero Jose Rizal selected as his final resting place. The current Paang Bundok is now a barangay located before the cemetery grounds. [5]

During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II the cemetery became the site of atrocities, with accounts that Imperial Japanese forces led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita brutally killed more than 2,000 unarmed noncombatants in the cemetery from October to November 1944. [3]

The cemetery being one of the oldest cemeteries in the metropolis is evident on the different designs of mausoleums that reflect the prevailing architectural style in the Philippines during the period they were constructed. The styles range from simple, plain-painted with a patch of greenery, to very complex designs that contain reliefs that are difficult to carve while also having different colors.

Informal settlement

Many people live inside the cemetery with some of them serving as caretakers of the mausoleums where they also stay to survive. When the families or owners of the mausoleums come, especially during and after All Soul's Day, the families transfer to other places. In addition, the informal settlers often serve as informal tour guides, bringing visitors to tombs of famous people and discussing the oral history of the area. [4] Others take advantage of the quantity of visitors during the Allhallowtide holiday, setting up stalls to sell drinks and snacks, and providing visitors other services like renting out their toilets. [6]

Clearing operations made in 2019 destroyed the shanties and other obstructions inside the cemetery, displacing the families who lived in the makeshift homes and in the mausoleums. [7]

Heritage Structures

Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution

The Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution is a memorial dedicated to Filipino revolutionaries of the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War.

Legarda-Tuason Family Mausoleum

Completed in 1915, this mausoleum is noted for its Egyptian-inspired design, especially the two sphinxes found in its entrance. It is a collaborative work of brothers Arcadio and Juan Arellano. It is the final resting place of the ancestors and descendants of the Tuason-Legarda-Valdes-Prieto families.

Bautista-Nakpil Pylon

The Bautista-Nakpil Pylon at the North Cemetery was designed by Juan Nakpil as a tribute to both Bautista and Nakpil families, including his uncle and benefactor, Dr. Ariston Bautista. The funerary pylon is a tall, square podium which has four human figures on the top corners that form a gesture of prayer capping off the tall columns. The frontal side is embellished by geometricized flowers, spiraling foliage, and nautilus shells in low-relief concrete panels which has a highly decorated stoup on the lower portion. [8] An octagonal lantern-like form sits on top of the podium with miniature columns buttressing on all sides and crowned by a rigid dome.

Notable burials

The remains of key figures in Philippine history are buried in the cemetery. Most of the people have their tombs on the main avenue of the cemetery while other notable people are located near the main entrance. Some of them are: [9]

Unmarked graves

Group and Family plots

Mausoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolución

Mausoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolucion Norte01.jpg
Mausoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolución

A memorial and national monument dedicated to Filipino revolutionaries of the Philippine Revolution of the 1890s and the Philippine–American War. [13] Notable burials in this monument were:

29 Martyrs of World War II Memorial

29 Martyrs of World War II Memorial Dalawampu't Siyam na Martir NHCP Historical Marker marker unveiling 5.jpg
29 Martyrs of World War II Memorial

This memorial serves as the final resting place of twenty-nine Manila residents that the Japanese Army executed on August 30, 1944. The remains of the executed individuals were said to be located and identified by their compatriots after the war, after a Japanese-American officer (working in the Japanese Army as a spy), revealed what he had seen and the location of the grave after the executions. Their remains were interred in this mausoleum on March 9, 1947. Notable burials in this plot were:

Osmeña Family Plot

Roxas Family Plot

Magsaysay Family Plot

Magsaysay Memorial NorthCem-A.JPG
Magsaysay Memorial

Bautista-Nakpil Family Plot

Bautista-Nakpil Pylon NorthCem-B.JPG
Bautista-Nakpil Pylon

Roces Family Mausoleum

Legarda-Tuason Family Mausoleum

Poe Family Mausoleum

Poe Family Mausoleum NorthCem-G.JPG
Poe Family Mausoleum

Other Group plots and memorials

Former interments

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergio Osmeña</span> President of the Philippines from 1944 to 1946

Sergio Osmeña Sr. was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fourth President of the Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He was Vice President under Manuel L. Quezon. Upon Quezon's sudden death in 1944, Osmeña succeeded him at age 65, becoming the oldest person to assume the Philippine presidency until Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016 at age 71. A founder of the Nacionalista Party, Osmeña was also the first Visayan to become president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fernando Poe Jr.</span> Filipino actor, film director, and politician (1939–2004)

Ronald Allan Kelley Poe, known professionally as Fernando Poe Jr., and often referred to by his initials FPJ, was a Filipino actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and politician. His long and successful career as an action star earned him the nickname "Da King". He also wrote, directed, and produced several of the films he starred in—under the pseudonyms Ronwaldo Reyes and D'Lanor.

La Liga Filipina was a secret society. It was founded by José Rizal in the house of Doroteo Ongjunco at Ilaya Street, Tondo, Manila on July 3, 1892.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libingan ng mga Bayani</span> National cemetery in Taguig, Philippines

Libingan ng mga Bayani is a national cemetery within Fort Bonifacio in Barangay Western Bicutan, Taguig, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Licerio Gerónimo</span> Filipino general during the Philippine-American War

Licerio Gerónimo e Imaya was a general of the Philippine Revolutionary Forces under Emilio Aguinaldo. He is remembered in Philippine–American War annals as the opposing general to Major General Henry Ware Lawton at the Battle of San Mateo on December 19, 1899, where Lawton lost his life along with 13 other Americans. Lawton had been previously credited with the capture of the Apache leader Geronimo. Licerio Geronimo possibly possessed Native American descent himself as the Spanish used to send Indios, Mestizos, and Criollos, from the Spanish-Americas to the Philippines during colonial times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manila Chinese Cemetery</span> Cemetery in Santa Cruz, Manila

The Manila Chinese Cemetery is the second oldest cemetery in Manila after La Loma Cemetery. The cemetery includes Christian, Buddhist and Taoist burials. The present-day cemetery is a vaguely trapezoidal area of about 54 hectares with an irregular network of roads its old pre-war part along Rizal Avenue Extension, reflecting its gradual evolution and expansion. Meanwhile, the post-war portion has three major roads bisected by minor roads, aligned northwest to southeast. Matandang Sora, coming from the main entrance in Felix Huertas going towards Chong Hock Temple, is the main road today. Before the Pacific War the main entrances faced Avenida Rizal. This northwestern is the oldest and most historically significant part of the cemetery. The cemetery was witness to many executions during World War II. Among them were Girl Scouts organizer Josefa Llanes Escoda, Filipino Brigadier General and hero during World War II and Boy Scouts of the Philippines charter member Vicente Lim, literary geniuses Liling Roces and Manuel Arguilla, star athlete-turned-guerrilla spy Virgilio Lobregat, and Chinese Consul General Yang Guangsheng. Apolinario Mabini was also buried in the cemetery before his remains were transferred to Batangas on July 23, 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julio Nakpil</span>

Julio Nakpil y García was a Filipino musician, composer and a General during the Philippine Revolution against Spain. He was a member of the Katipunan, a secret society turned revolutionary government which was formed to overthrow the Spanish government in the Philippines. His Katipunan adoptive name was J. Giliw or simply Giliw. He was commissioned by Andres Bonifacio, President of the Insurgent Tagalog Republic, to compose a hymn which was intended to become the National Anthem of the Tagalog Republic. That hymn was entitled "Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan". Thus, to some, he is remembered as the composer of the first national anthem of the Philippines. He is also a known huge critic of Emilio Aguinaldo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan Nakpil</span> Filipino architect (1899–1986)

Juan Felipe de Jesús Nakpil, KGCR, KSS known as Juan Nakpil, was a Filipino architect, teacher and a community leader. In 1973, he was named one of the National Artists for architecture. He was regarded as the Dean of Filipino Architects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerardo Roxas Jr.</span> Filipino politician

Gerardo "Dinggoy" Araneta Roxas Jr., popularly known simply as Dinggoy Roxas and sometimes referred as Gerry Roxas Jr., was a Filipino politician who served as a former congressman from Capiz. He was the brother of former Senator and Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Mar Roxas and grandson of former President Manuel Roxas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rizal Monument</span> Monument in Manila, Philippines

The Rizal Monument is a memorial in Rizal Park in Manila, Philippines built to commemorate the executed Filipino nationalist, José Rizal. The monument consists of a standing bronze sculpture of Rizal, with an obelisk, set on a stone base within which his remains are interred, holding his 2 famous novels "El Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere". A plaque on the pedestal's front reads: "To the memory of José Rizal, patriot and martyr, executed on Bagumbayan Field December 30 1896. This monument is dedicated by the people of the Philippine Islands."

Bonifacio Arévalo y Flores was a Filipino ilustrado, dentist, sculptor, propagandist, and an ardent patron of music and theater. He was the treasurer of La Liga Filipina and the founder of the Sociedad Dental de Filipinas, which is now known as the Philippine Dental Association.

Juan Arévalo was an Assembly Member of the Declaration of Philippine Independence, which was proclaimed in 1898. He was the son of Bonifacio Flores Arévalo and Trinidad Arévalo. His remains are buried with other Assembly Members of the Declaration of Philippine Independence, at the Mausoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolución in Manila North Cemetery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcelo H. del Pilar Shrine</span> Historic mansion in Bulacan, Philippines

The Marcelo H. del Pilar Shrine is a declared national shrine by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in honor of Filipino lawyer, poet and propagandist Marcelo H. del Pilar. Located at Sitio Cupang, Brgy. San Nicolas, Bulakan, Bulacan, the shrine is the former site of the house of the del Pilar clan. Currently, the shrine is under the management of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mar Roxas 2016 presidential campaign</span>

The 2016 presidential campaign of Manuel "Mar" Roxas II, former Senator of the Philippines and former Secretary of the Interior and Local Government was announced on July 31, 2015. At an event dubbed as "A Gathering of Friends", Mar Roxas formally accepted his party's nomination as the Liberal Party standard bearer after he was officially endorsed by President Benigno Aquino III in the presence of their political allies at the Club Filipino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of Metro Manila–related articles</span>

The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the Philippine capital region of Metro Manila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iglesia ni Cristo chapel, F. Manalo-San Juan</span> Church in Metro Manila, Philippines

The Iglesia Ni Cristo Locale of F. Manalo-San Juan, formerly Locale of Riverside is a chapel and former central office complex of the Philippine-based Christian sect, Iglesia ni Cristo. Located in Barangay Santa Lucia, San Juan, it was completed in 1952, and it is the former central office complex and main house of worship of the church. The art-deco ensembles were designed by the national artist of architecture Juan Nakpil, who also built some of the standalone theaters in Rizal Avenue, UP Diliman Campus buildings and Quiapo Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution</span> Burial place in Manila, Philippines

The Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution is a memorial and national monument dedicated to Filipino revolutionaries of the Philippine Revolution of the 1890s and the Philippine–American War situated inside the Manila North Cemetery in Manila, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tandang Sora National Shrine</span> National monument in Quezon City, Philippines

The Tandang Sora National Shrine is a national monument and memorial park in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is dedicated to Filipino revolutionary and centenarian, Melchora Aquino who is also known as "Tandang Sora".

Philippines National Historic Landmarks is a registry of historic sites in the Philippines that have been officially declared by the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property.

References

  1. James Chance (2010). "Living with the dead: Manila's North Cemetery". Pictures of the Year International. Donald W Reynolds Journalism Institute. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  2. Republic of the Philippines: Presidential Museum and Library."Our Heritage and the Departed: A Cemeteries Tour Archived 2015-09-28 at the Wayback Machine ".
  3. 1 2 Palafox, Quennie Ann (September 4, 2012). "Cemeteries of Memories, Where Journey to Eternity Begins". National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Vintage Philippines. December 2, 2010. "Manila North Cemetery: A Time Capsule of Philippine History Archived 2014-05-03 at the Wayback Machine ".
  5. "Rizal did not get his dying wish–to have simple burial at 'Paang Bundok'". December 25, 2016.
  6. Sauler, Erik. November 2, 2012. Philippine Daily Inquirer."From buko shakes to portalets, entrepreneurs thrive at Manila North Cemetery".
  7. Valenzuela, Nikka G. (October 30, 2019). "Illegal settlers out of Manila North Cemetery". Inquirer.net. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  8. Lico, Gerard (2008). Arkitekturang Filipino: A History of Architecture and Urbanism in the Philippines. Quezon City: The University of the Philippines Press. pp. 331–332, 339. ISBN   978-971-542-579-7.
  9. Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 2, 2012. "Did You Know: Manila North Cemetery".
  10. Pedrajas, Joseph Almer (August 29, 2020). "Former Manila mayor Alfredo Lim is laid to rest". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  11. CWGC Casualty record.
  12. "Activist Reina Mae Nasino attends child's burial at Manila cemetery". The Manila Times . Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  13. "Our Heritage and the Departed: A Cemeteries Tour". Presidential Museum & Library. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  14. "Our Heritage and the Departed: A Cemeteries Tour". Presidential Museum and Library. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  15. "Rizal kin move out of crowded city cemetery". Philippine Daily Inquirer. March 3, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  16. Walter Ang. October 28, 2013. 8list.ph. "8 Trivia About Manila Cemeteries".