Mount Samat National Shrine | |
---|---|
| |
Type | Memorial |
Location | Pilar, Bataan, Philippines |
Coordinates | 14°36′20.80″N120°30′32.17″E / 14.6057778°N 120.5089361°E |
Area | 73,665 hectares (182,030 acres) |
Created | 1970 |
Operated by | Provincial Government of Bataan |
Open | year round |
Status | National Shrine April 8, 1967 |
Mount Samat National Shrine (Tagalog pronunciation: [samat] ) or Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor) is a historical shrine located near the summit of Mount Samat in the town of Pilar, Province of Bataan, in the Philippines. The memorial shrine complex was built to honor and remember the gallantry of Filipino and American soldiers who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
Consisting of a Colonnade and the large Memorial Cross, the park was commissioned in 1966 by then-President Ferdinand Marcos, [1] for the 25th anniversary of World War II. [2] The white Memorial Cross stands as a remembrance to the soldiers who fought and lost their lives in the Battle of Bataan. The shrine complex also includes a war museum with a wide array of collections from paintings of the Philippine heroes, to armaments used by the Filipino, American and Japanese forces during the battle.
From the colonnade and the cross, there is a panoramic view of Bataan, Corregidor Island and on a clear day, the city of Manila situated about 50 km (31 mi) across Manila Bay.
Along with the fortified island of Corregidor, Mount Samat was the site of the most vicious battle against the Japanese Imperial Army in 1942 during the Battle of Bataan. Suffering heavy losses against the Japanese all over Luzon, Filipino and American soldiers retreated to Bataan Peninsula to regroup for a last valiant but futile stand. This retreat to Bataan is part of a United States strategy known as War Plan Orange.
Bataan fell after three months of fighting when 78,000 exhausted, sick and starving men under Major General Edward P. King surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1942. It is the single largest surrender of U.S. soldiers in history. Together with the Philippine soldiers, they were then led on the Bataan Death March.
The scene of their last stronghold is Mount Samat, the site of Dambana ng Kagitingan. The shrine was conceived as a fitting memorial to the heroic struggle and sacrifices of the soldiers who fought and died in that historic bastion of freedom. [3]
The memorial shrine complex was started with the laying of the cornerstone by President Marcos on April 14, 1966. [4] Due to lack of funds, construction was unfinished for the 25th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan in 1967. [2] The shrine was completed and inaugurated in 1970, in time for the 25th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The shrine is where the Diocese of Balanga's annual celebration Mt. Samat Pilgrimage held on November or December of the year since the tenure of Socrates Villegas as the diocese's third bishop in November 27, 2004.
Located in an area approximately 73,665 hectares (182,030 acres), the park consists of the Colonnade and at the mountain's peak, the Memorial Cross. The shrine was designed by Lorenzo del Castillo and landscaped by Dolly Quimbo-Perez. [5]
From the parking lot, a wide three series of steps that narrows to the top lead visitors to the flagpole that holds the flag of the Philippines. [6] The last series of steps to the Colonnade level are bordered on two sides by two pedestals topped with bronze urns symbolising the eternal flame. [7]
The Colonnade is a marble-clad structure surrounded by an esplanade, itself surrounded by marble-clad parapets. The outer side is covered with 19 high relief sculptures by National Artist Napoleon Abueva, and alternates depictions of the war with 18 bronze insignia of USAFFE Division units by Talleres de Maximo Vicente, Leonides Valdez, and Angel Sampra and Sons. [5] Each bronze insignia has a flagstaff for the flags of each division. [8]
In the centre of the Colonnade is the altar, behind which are three religious stained glass murals designed by Cenon Rivera and executed by Vetrate D'Arte Giuliani of Rome, Italy. [5] Four large bronze chandeliers hang from the ceiling, while inscribed in marble on the two lateral walls is a narrative of the “Battle of Bataan”.
A footpath that leads to the base of the Memorial Cross begins behind the Colonnade. [9] The 14-flight, zig-zagging path on the mountain slope is paved with bloodstones from Corregidor Island. An alternate road also takes visitors to the base of the Memorial Cross. [3]
Shrine of Valor Memorial Cross | |
Location | Pilar, Bataan, Philippines |
---|---|
Designer | Lorenzo del Castillo and Napoleon Abueva |
Type | Historical landmark |
Material | Steel and reinforced concrete finished with chipped granolithic marble |
Length | 90 feet (27 m) |
Width | 18 feet (5.5 m) |
Height | 92 metres (302 ft) |
Beginning date | 1966 |
Completion date | 1970 |
Opening date | 1970 |
Dedicated to | Soldiers who fought for freedom in the Battle of Bataan |
The Memorial Cross is a towering structure at the highest point of Mount Samat, 555 m (1,821 ft) above sea level. The monument is made of steel and reinforced concrete with a lift and viewing gallery at the Cross's arms. A staircase also leads to the gallery in the wings. The height of the Cross is 95 m (312 ft) from the base; the height of the arms is 74 m (243 ft) m from the base, with each arm measuring 30 m (98 ft) (15 m (49 ft) on each side), making it the second tallest cross in the world. The viewing gallery is 5.5 m × 27.4 m (18 ft × 90 ft), with a 2.1 m (6.9 ft) clearance. [3]
The exterior of the Cross is finished with chipped granolithic marble. The base until the 11 m (36 ft) level is capped with sculptural slabs and relief [10] titled Nabiag Na Bato also by Abueva, depicting important historical figures and events like the execution of Jose Rizal, [11] Lapu-Lapu [12] and Antonio Luna. [13]
Corregidor is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of Cavite City and thus the province of Cavite. It is located 48 kilometres (30 mi) west of Manila, the nation's largest city and one of its most important seaports for centuries since the Spanish colonial period. Due to its strategic location, Corregidor has historically been fortified with coastal artillery batteries to defend the entrance of Manila Bay and Manila itself from attacks by enemy warships.
The Philippine Scouts (Filipino: Maghahanap ng Pilipinas/Hukbong Maghahanap ng Pilipinas) was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until after the end of World War II. These troops were generally Filipinos and Filipino-Americans assigned to the United States Army Philippine Department, under the command of American commissioned officers (though a handful of Filipino Americans received commissions from the United States Military Academy). Philippine Scout units were given the suffix "(PS)", to distinguish them from other U.S. Army units.
Bataan, officially the Province of Bataan, is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula on Luzon, Bataan is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north. The peninsula faces the South China Sea to the west and Subic Bay to the north-west, and encloses Manila Bay to the east.
Libingan ng mga Bayani is a national cemetery within Fort Bonifacio in Barangay Western Bicutan, Taguig, Philippines.
The Battle of Corregidor, fought on 5–6 May 1942, was the culmination of the Japanese campaign for the conquest of the Commonwealth of the Philippines during World War II.
The Battle of Bataan was fought by the United States and the Philippine Commonwealth against Imperial Japan during World War II. The battle represented the most intense phase of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during World War II. In January 1942, forces of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy invaded Luzon along with several islands in the Philippine Archipelago after the bombing of the American naval base at Pearl Harbor.
Pilar, officially the Municipality of Pilar, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 46,239 people.
Edward Postell King, Jr. was a major general in the United States Army who gained prominence for leading the defense of the Bataan Peninsula in the Battle of Bataan against the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in World War II.
George Fleming Moore was a decorated officer of the United States Army with the rank of major general. General Moore commanded the Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays and the Philippine Coast Artillery during the Battle of Bataan.
Napoleon "Billy" Veloso Abueva was known as the "Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture" Through Proclamation No. 1539. He was proclaimed National Artist for Sculpture in 1976 when he was 46, making him the youngest recipient of the award to date.
Jose Cabalfin Calugas was a member of the Philippine Scouts during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Battle of Bataan.
Camp O'Donnell is a current military base and former United States military reservation in the Philippines located on Luzon island in the municipality of Capas in Tarlac. It housed the Philippine Army's newly created 71st Division and after the Americans' return, a United States Army camp. During World War II, the reservation was used as a prisoner-of-war camp for Filipino and American soldiers captured by Japan during its successful invasion of the Philippines. About 60,000 Filipino and 9,000 Americans were housed at the camp. During the few months in 1942 that Camp O'Donnell was used as a prisoner-of-war camp, about 20,000 Filipinos and 1,500 Americans died there of disease, starvation, neglect, and brutality.
The Capas National Shrine in Barangay Aranguren, Capas, Tarlac, Philippines was built by the Philippine government as a memorial to Allied soldiers who were interned at Camp O'Donnell at the end of the Bataan Death March during the Second World War.
The Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) is the Philippine agency for Filipino war veterans. Under the Department of National Defense, PVAO serves to fulfill a national commitment as embodied in Section 7, Article XVI of the 1987 Philippine Constitution:
The Day of Valor, officially known as Araw ng Kagitingan, is a national observance in the Philippines that commemorates the fall of Bataan to Japanese troops during World War II. The day is officially celebrated every April 9, the start of the Bataan Death March, although the date was moved on several occasions to avoid it from coinciding with the observance of the Holy Week in the country, especially the Easter Triduum and Easter Sunday, such as in 2004, 2009, 2020, and 2023.
The Diocese of Balanga is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, established on March 17, 1975, by Pope Paul VI. The diocese has jurisdiction over the whole province of Bataan, with 38 parishes, 5 diocesan shrines, one minor basilica, chaplaincy, quasi-parish, national shrine and chapel, and 4 vicariates. The Cathedral-Shrine Parish of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary in Aguire Street, Poblacion, Balanga, serves as the seat of the diocese. It is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of San Fernando, Pampanga. The titular patron of the diocese is Saint Joseph, whose feast day falls on March 19. The city fiesta is celebrated on April 28.
The 41st Infantry Division was a division of the Philippine Army under the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).
The Pantingan River massacre was the mass execution of Filipino and American officers and non-commissioned officers Prisoners-of-War by members of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Bataan Death March on April 12, 1942, in Bagac, Bataan. Several hundred soldiers from the Philippine Commonwealth Army's 1st, 11th, 71st, and 91st Divisions on the march to the north of Mount Samat where the Pantingan River crosses the Pilar-Bagac Road were taken to the riverside. Most of them were hog tied with telephone wire, shot, bayoneted or beheaded by the Imperial Japanese Army.
Mount Samat is a mountain in the town of Pilar, Bataan, Philippines. Located near its summit is the Mount Samat National Shrine, a national shrine dedicated to the fallen Filipino and American fallen during World War II.