Pinaglabanan Shrine

Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine[1] (Filipino: Pang-alaalang Dambana ng Pinaglabanan) is a Filipino national shrine and park along Pinaglabanan Street in the city of San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines. This was built to commemorate the heroism of the Katipuneros who laid siege to Polvorín de Almacen, an armoury belonging to the Spanish Colonial Government, becoming the first battle of the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire.

Pinaglabanan Shrine
Pang-alaalang Dambana ng Pinaglabanan
Pinaglabanan Shrine
Type	War memorial
Location	San Juan, Manila, Philippines
Coordinates	14°36′17″N 121°01′52″E
Area	5 hectares (12 acres)
Created	1973
Managed by	City of San Juan National Historical Commission of the Philippines
Facilities	Spirit of Pinaglabanan Museo ng Katipunan Museo El Deposito

History

Pinaglabanan Shrine was built in 1973 to commemorate the 1896 Battle of Pinaglabanan in the city, then known as the town of San Juan del Monte.[2] The battle was part of a campaign by Katipunan revolutionaries, led by Andrés Bonifacio, who intended to seize El Deposito, an underground reservoir supplying water to Intramuros, and El Polvorín (the gunpowder depot). Though successful in seizing El Polvorín, the revolutionaries lost the battle, and were unable to reach El Deposito.[3]

After years of dilapidation,[3] a ₱50 million renovation for the park began, headed by the San Juan local government and the Department of Public Works and Highways with consultation from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.[4]

Administration

The shrine is jointly maintained by the San Juan city government and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.[4]

Features

The centrepiece of the shrine is the Spirit of Pinaglabanan, a brass sculpture by Eduardo Castrillo that features three figures atop a semicircular base.[3] The National Historical Commission of the Philippines runs two museums within the park, the Museo ng Katipunan (Museum of the Katipunan) and the Museo El Deposito (El Deposito Museum). The Spanish-era El Deposito underground reservoir beneath street level has since been restored and is also open to the public.[4]

Gallery

Pinaglabanan Avenue, with the school to the left and the Church of Saint John the Baptist in the background.

• 
  Pinaglabanan Shrine Park
• 
  Restoration, Phase I
• 
  NHCP marker, 1974

References

1. "The First Battle of the Katipunan". National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
2. "Rains hamper Pinaglabanan Shrine's restoration in time for battle anniversary". 30 August 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
3. Reysio-Cruz, Matthew; Santa Cruz, Maxine (8 July 2019). "Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine gets P50-M makeover". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
4. Paris, Janella (24 August 2019). "San Juan restores Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, the city's pride". Rappler. Retrieved 11 September 2019.