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Fort Santiago

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.