FORT SANTIAGO
Fort Santiago is one of the oldest fortifications in Manila built by the Spaniards in 1571 from what was once a palisaded
structure of logs and earth built by Rajah Soliman on the native settlement called Maynila. The colonizers recognized that the
tongue of land where the Pasig River flowed into the Manila Bay was a very strategic location. The fort was destroyed in 1574
during the Chinese attack led by Limahong. The stone fort was built between 1589 and 1592 and was repaired and extended after
being damaged by the 1645 earthquake. Spanish, British, American and Japanese occupation forces used the fort as their
headquarters and a prison for men, women, children and soldiers. After its destruction during the Battle of Manila in 1945, the fort
was used by the U.S. Transportation Corps as a depot until it was turned over to the Philippine government in 1946. In 1950, Fort
FORT SANTIAGO
Santiago was declared a Shrine of Freedom and restoration began the following year. Today, it stands as a memorial to the victims
of World War II and the sacrifices of the Filipino people in pursuit of freedom.
History
The inner sanctum of Fort Santiago was the location of the old Maynila settlement ruled by Rajah Sulayman, palisaded with
bamboo and coconut log stakes, and defended by swivel guns made by Panday Pira, a renowned smith from Mindanao. The
palisade protected the polity, which was a booming trading center, and the mouth of the river, the main thoroughfare of precolonial
Manila, from marauding sea-pirates and the occasional enemy from the sea.
In 1571, Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi conquered Rajah Sulayman’s Maynila and founded the new Ciudad de
Manila, the capital of the Spanish East Indies. The palisades were rebuilt around the area and later, rebuilt in stone in the wake of
the attack of the Chinese pirate and war lord Lin Feng (Limahong).
Fort Santiago was named after Saint James, Slayer of the Moors (Santiago Matamoros), a Spanish ideological icon and legendary
depiction of the apostle St. James, the Great. Santiago Matamoros was the patron of the Kingdom of Spain and the Spanish people
until Pope Clement XIII superseded this devotion by proclaming the Immaculate Conception as the patron of Spain. Santiago
Matamoros was portrayed as a conquistador and was the icon of Spanish colonization of the Americas. This was brought over to
the Philippines and the main gate of Fort Santiago bears a wooden relief of this iconography.
During the occupation periods, Fort Santiago served as the military headquarters for the Spanish, British (1762-1764), Americans
(1898-1964), and Japanese (1942-1945). It was here that the American flag was first raised on August 13, 1898 signifying the
transition of colonizing power. During the Second World War, the Japanese secret police, Kempei Tai, imprisoned and tortured
hundreds of men and women here.
FORT SANTIAGO
During World War II, Fort Santiago was severely damaged when American forces blasted their way inside to flush out the Japanese
who sought refuge in the fort and refusing to give up the fight. The main gate was destroyed, and the only remnants of the original
structure are the two carved stone sentries on its sides.
After the war, Fort Santiago was restored as a public park. In 1951, the Philippine recognized the historical significance of Fort
Santiago to our nationhood and declared it a as a National Monument and a National Shrine known as “Shrine of Freedom” in honor
of Dr. Rizal and the countless number of people imprisoned, tortured, and martyred here for the cause of freedom. In 2014, the
National Museum of the Philippines declared it as a National Cultural Treasure.
Ruins of the American Barracks
Alongside the solid curtain wall of Baluartillo de San Francisco Javier
are the ruins of a building which as the American Barracks. Former
Philippine President Elpidio Quirino was imprisoned in this building for
16 days in 1943, during the Japanese Occupation. The ruins
underwent retrofitting in 2017, and is used today as an open-air
Fort Santiago Gate
Here stands the gate leading to the inner sanctum of Fort Santiago.
The gate of Fort Santiago was destroyed during the Battle of Manila in
1945. The main gate is decorated by a relieve or wood relief carving
of Santiago Matamoros (St. James, the “Moor-slayer”), the patron saint
of Spain; together with the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Castile and
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Plaza de Armas
At the center of Fort Santiago is the Plaza de Armas. The plaza
and its name are a common feature in fortresses built by the
Spaniards in their colonies throughout the world. It got its name
from the use of the area to stock arms and rifles when not in use.
This is also where the soldiers marched around in their daily drills.
Dungeons
The dungeons below were originally used as powder magazines until
the dampness proved detrimental to storing gunpowder. These
were then converted into prison cells. The dungeons were recently
rehabilitated and are now open to the public. Stories of prisoners
being drowned in the dungeons of Fort Santiago during high tide
continue to this day, but archaeological evidence proves the
dungeons were built way above the river level and it would be
impossible for waters to flood the chambers even at high
tide. Also located nearby was a water cistern which supplied fresh
water to the fort from a well in the dungeons below. The cistern was
FORT SANTIAGO
Baluarte de Santa Barbara
This structure was named in honor of St. Barbara, the patron saint
of armorers, artillerymen, miners and others who work with
explosives. According to legend, St. Barbara’s father died when he
was struck by lightning after beheading Barbara himself. As such,
Spaniards and Filipinos call the saint for protection after lightning
or thunder, by uttering “Sta. Barbara,” while making the sign of the
cross.
This was built in the 16th century to protect the entrance from the
Pasig River. It is the highest defensive structure in Fort Santiago.
Vaults, a powder magazine, and the soldiers’ quarters above were
added later. It was renovated and reconstructed in the
