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Manila North Cemetery

For other uses, see Cementerio del Norte.

The Manila North Cemetery (Spanish: Cementerio del Norte) is one of the oldest cemeteries in Metro Manila, Philippines. The cemetery is owned by and located in the City of Manila, the national capital, and is one of the largest in the metropolis at 54 hectares (130 acres). It is located alongside Andrés Bonifacio Avenue and borders two other important cemeteries: the La Loma Cemetery and the Manila Chinese Cemetery. Numerous impoverished families notably inhabit some of the mausoleums.[1]

Manila North Cemetery
Entrance of the Manila North Cemetery
Map
Details
Location
Santa Cruz, Manila
CountryPhilippines
Coordinates14°37′59″N 120°59′20″E / 14.633°N 120.989°E / 14.633; 120.989
TypePublic
Owned byManila City Government
Size54 ha (130 acres)
Find a GraveManila North Cemetery

History and Architecture

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Aerial view of Cementerio del Norte (1928)

The Manila North Cemetery was formerly part of La Loma Cemetery but was separated as an exclusively Catholic burial ground.[2] The cemetery formerly known as Cementerio del Norte[3] was laid out in 1904.[4]

The cemetery in its entirety was once called Paang Bundok, the area National Hero Jose Rizal selected as his final resting place. The current Paang Bundok is now a barangay located before the cemetery grounds.[5]

During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II the cemetery became the site of atrocities, with accounts that Imperial Japanese forces led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita brutally killed more than 2,000 unarmed noncombatants in the cemetery from October to November 1944.[3]

The cemetery being one of the oldest cemeteries in the metropolis is evident on the different designs of mausoleums that reflect the prevailing architectural style in the Philippines during the period they were constructed. The styles range from simple, plain-painted with a patch of greenery, to very complex designs that contain reliefs that are difficult to carve while also having different colors.

Informal settlement

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Many people live inside the cemetery with some of them serving as caretakers of the mausoleums where they also stay to survive. When the families or owners of the mausoleums come, especially during and after All Soul's Day, the families transfer to other places. In addition, the informal settlers often serve as informal tour guides, bringing visitors to tombs of famous people and discussing the oral history of the area.[4] Others take advantage of the quantity of visitors during the Allhallowtide holiday, setting up stalls to sell drinks and snacks, and providing visitors other services like renting out their toilets.[6]

Clearing operations made in 2019 destroyed the shanties and other obstructions inside the cemetery, displacing the families who lived in the makeshift homes and in the mausoleums.[7]

Heritage Structures

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Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution

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Main article: Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution

The Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution is a memorial dedicated to Filipino revolutionaries of the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War.

Legarda-Tuason Family Mausoleum

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Completed in 1915, this mausoleum is noted for its Egyptian-inspired design, especially the two sphinxes found in its entrance. It is a collaborative work of brothers Arcadio and Juan Arellano. It is the final resting place of the ancestors and descendants of the Tuason-Legarda-Valdes-Prieto families.

Bautista-Nakpil Pylon

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The Bautista-Nakpil Pylon at the North Cemetery was designed by Juan Nakpil as a tribute to both Bautista and Nakpil families, including his uncle and benefactor, Dr. Ariston Bautista. The funerary pylon is a tall, square podium which has four human figures on the top corners that form a gesture of prayer capping off the tall columns. The frontal side is embellished by geometricized flowers, spiraling foliage, and nautilus shells in low-relief concrete panels which has a highly decorated stoup on the lower portion.[8] An octagonal lantern-like form sits on top of the podium with miniature columns buttressing on all sides and crowned by a rigid dome.

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    Bautista-Nakpil Pylon front view.
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    Art Deco design on the Bautista-Nakpil pylon.
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    Bautista-Nakpil Pylon site.
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    One of the graves at the Bautista-Nakpil Pylon site.

Notable burials

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The remains of key figures in Philippine history are buried in the cemetery. Most of the people have their tombs on the main avenue of the cemetery while other notable people are located near the main entrance. Some of them are:[9]

Unmarked graves

  • Macario Sakay (1878 –1907), Filipino Revolutionary General. Buried in an unmarked grave after his execution in the Old Bilibid Prisons.
  • 28 victims of Asociacion De Damas De Filipinas fire tragedy on December 3, 1998. Buried in unmarked graves.

Group and Family plots

Mausoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolución

 
Mausoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolución

A memorial and national monument dedicated to Filipino revolutionaries of the Philippine Revolution of the 1890s and the Philippine–American War.[13] Notable burials in this monument were:

  • Juan Arevalo, patriot, son of Bonifacio Flores Arevalo, assembly member (Declaration of Philippine Independence, Cavite-Viejo, Province of Cavite, June 12, 1898)
  • Adriano Hernández (1870–1925), Brigadier General of the Philippine Revolution and Military Strategist and the local hero of Dingle, Iloilo.
  • Fernando Canon – Filipino revolutionary general, poet, inventor, engineer, musician
  • Pío del Pilar (1865–1931), Philippine revolutionary figure.

29 Martyrs of World War II Memorial

 
29 Martyrs of World War II Memorial

This memorial serves as the final resting place of twenty-nine Manila residents that the Japanese Army executed on August 30, 1944. The remains of the executed individuals were said to be located and identified by their compatriots after the war, after a Japanese-American officer (working in the Japanese Army as a spy), revealed what he had seen and the location of the grave after the executions. Their remains were interred in this mausoleum on March 9, 1947. Notable burials in this plot were:

Osmeña Family Plot

Roxas Family Plot

Magsaysay Family Plot

 
Magsaysay Memorial

Bautista-Nakpil Family Plot

 
Bautista-Nakpil Pylon

Roces Family Mausoleum

Legarda-Tuason Family Mausoleum

Poe Family Mausoleum

 
Poe Family Mausoleum
  • Fernando Poe, Sr. (1916–1951), film producer, director, actor
  • Fernando Poe, Jr. (Ronald Allan K. Poe) (1939–2004), National Artist for Film, and 2004 presidential candidate
  • Susan Roces (Jesusa Purificacion Levy Sonora-Poe) (1941–2022), actress and wife of Fernando Poe, Jr.
  • Andy Poe (1943–1995), actor and brother of Fernando Poe Jr.
  • Conrad Poe (1948–2010), actor and half-brother of Fernando Poe Jr.

Other Group plots and memorials

Former interments

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  • The Museum Foundation of the Philippines and Carlos Celdran's Walk This Way both used to hold walking tours the Chinese Cemetery, North Cemetery and La Loma Cemetery.
  • Manila North Cemetery and Chinese Cemetery have a trove of funerary architecture. Mausoleums are designed to look like Chinese pagodas, Hindu Shikhara temples, Egyptian pyramids guarded by Sphinxes, Greek- and Roman-inspired temples, Romanesque-type churches, even Art Deco mausoleums.[16]
  • The Manila North Cemetery was the plot setting for the episode 'Paa' of the 2010 horror film Cinco.
  • The Manila North Cemetery is where the movie Tombstone Pillow was shot. Tombstone Pillow stars Filipina actress Lourdes Duque Baron. It is directed by Dream Team Directors and musical score was done by Hagay Mizrahi who is known as one of the sound engineers for Justin Bieber. Said film reaped several prestigious nominations and awards abroad namely, Winner for Best Short Drama at the ICP Entertainment Short Film Series, official finalist at the Asian Cinematography Awards, New York City Independent Film Festival, LA Shorts International Film Festival, and the NYCIFF Festival. Tombstone Pillow movie highlights the plight of 6,000 impoverished Filipinos living in the Manila North Cemetery.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ James Chance (2010). "Living with the dead: Manila's North Cemetery". Pictures of the Year International. Donald W Reynolds Journalism Institute. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  2. ^ Republic of the Philippines: Presidential Museum and Library."Our Heritage and the Departed: A Cemeteries Tour Archived 2015-09-28 at the Wayback Machine".
  3. ^ a b Palafox, Quennie Ann (September 4, 2012). "Cemeteries of Memories, Where Journey to Eternity Begins". National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Vintage Philippines. December 2, 2010. "Manila North Cemetery: A Time Capsule of Philippine History Archived 2014-05-03 at the Wayback Machine".
  5. ^ "Rizal did not get his dying wish–to have simple burial at 'Paang Bundok'". December 25, 2016.
  6. ^ Sauler, Erik. November 2, 2012. Philippine Daily Inquirer."From buko shakes to portalets, entrepreneurs thrive at Manila North Cemetery".
  7. ^ Valenzuela, Nikka G. (October 30, 2019). "Illegal settlers out of Manila North Cemetery". Inquirer.net. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  8. ^ Lico, Gerard (2008). Arkitekturang Filipino: A History of Architecture and Urbanism in the Philippines. Quezon City: The University of the Philippines Press. pp. 331–332, 339. ISBN 978-971-542-579-7.
  9. ^ Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 2, 2012. "Did You Know: Manila North Cemetery".
  10. ^ Pedrajas, Joseph Almer (August 29, 2020). "Former Manila mayor Alfredo Lim is laid to rest". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  11. ^ [1] CWGC Casualty record.
  12. ^ "Activist Reina Mae Nasino attends child's burial at Manila cemetery". The Manila Times. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  13. ^ "Our Heritage and the Departed: A Cemeteries Tour". Presidential Museum & Library. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  14. ^ "Our Heritage and the Departed: A Cemeteries Tour". Presidential Museum and Library. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  15. ^ "Rizal kin move out of crowded city cemetery". Philippine Daily Inquirer. March 3, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  16. ^ Walter Ang. October 28, 2013. 8list.ph. "8 Trivia About Manila Cemeteries".
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