Fort Santiago

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  • Address
    Santa Clara St, Intramuros
  • Phone
    527 2961

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Guarding the vital entrance to the Pasig River, Fort Santiago was once the seat of Spanish military power. Designated a Shrine of Freedom in 1950, today it is a memorial to Dr José Rizal, who was imprisoned here in the final days before his execution in 1896 for inciting revolution against the Spanish colonials. It is also a memorial to all Filipinos who have fought or died for the cause of freedom.

The Rizal Shrine, in the building where Rizal was incarcerated, contains various displays of Rizal memorabilia, including a reliquary containing one of his vertebrae, the first draft of his novel Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) and the original copy of Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last Farewell), which was smuggled out of his cell inside an oil lamp.

At the far end of the fort you will find the infamous dungeon where prisoners were drowned in water seeping through the walls. The dungeon remains closed to visitors. A Spanish military barracks has been turned into an open-air theatre called Dulaang Rajah Sulayman. Rizal spent his last night in a cellblock at one end of these barracks. Brass footprints set into the pavement mark his final steps to the execution spot in Rizal Park.