Calamba. The city in Laguna that when mentioned to someone raised in the Philippines would put Jose Rizal in their mind. In June of 1861, the eventual national hero was born in town, his childhood being spent in the familial estate that stands today as a shrine in his honor within Calamba's bustling town center.
But the present two-story Spanish-colonial house where the polymath grew up is already a replica. In 1890, a rift between Rizal's family and the Spanish friars threw them out of their own home that then lead to its neglect. Come World War II, the house fell into wreckage. The government bought what has remained to the property and in 1949, then Pres. Quirino signed an order for the reconstruction upon the exact area that the original house had occupied, using the same materials it was formerly made of — ground floor made of bricks, upper floor consisting of hardwood and capiz shell windows, and red tile roof. The original white exterior walls though were repainted green in 2009.
Rizal Shrine keeps memorabilia of Rizal's younger years and his nationalistic journey across Europe where he spent much of his adulthood. These keepsakes are displayed in the shrine's six galleries.
The lower level holds the first three galleries featuring Jose's family roots, his childhood, his formal education and how the town of Calamba was like during his time. This part of the house served as servants' quarters and storage room in the past.
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| Gallery 1 features Jose Rizal's roots |
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| His mom, Doña Teodora Alonso y Realonda, became Pepe's first teacher |
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| Scrapbooks containing facts about Rizal's parents and ten siblings |
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| Jose Rizal's genealogy |
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| Gallery 2 talks about Calamba of Rizal's time — the environment where he grew up |
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| ... and Calamba's outskirts |
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| Gallery 3 presents Jose's formal schooling |
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| Rizal's reading collection |
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| Chronology of his formal education |
Upstairs, the family's living quarter serves as the fourth gallery.
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| ANTEROOM | Library and waiting/dining room for the family's guests |
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| LIVING ROOM (sala) | Where their relatives and close friends were received |
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| GIRL'S BEDROOM | Seems too small for Jose's nine sisters. It has the original sewing machine that Jose's eldest sibling owned. |
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| BOY'S BEDROOM | Jose and his sole brother Paciano's room. Historically, Paciano sleeps on the bed while Jose's on the floor |
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| PARENTS' BEDROOM | Largest of the three rooms. Pepe (Jose's nickname) was born in his parents' bedroom. |
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| KITCHEN | Though the family has kitchen helper, Doña Teodora was said to be an avid cook. |
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| Where every family member apparently had their "me time". |
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| The azotea (veranda) |
The last two galleries focus on Rizal's patriotic sojourn across Europe and his undertakings while writing his seminal novels — "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo". These are exhibited in a separate air-conditioned display room built in 1997, adjacent the bahay-na-bato.
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| Gallery 5 focuses on Rizal's journey to Europe (1882-1892) |
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| Some of Rizal's photographs when he's in Europe. #swag |
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| "El Filibusterismo", Rizal's second novel (1891) |
The entire house is a reproduction except the flooring, which was discovered and utilized during the reconstruction, and the water hole which present generation visitors treat as wishing well.
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| Wishing well |
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| The pail extends to the azotea so as to easily fetch water when needed in bathroom and kitchen |
In the vast garden stand a bronze statue of young Rizal and his dog, and a replica of the bahay kubo (nipa hut) that Pepe used as his workshop and hideaway when he's a child. The statue was built in 1996 to commemorate Jose Rizal's centennial death anniversary.
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| Pepe's bahay kubo |
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| Pepe watches over their home (pardon my daughter, she really tends to ride over those animal figures) |
National Artist for Architecture Juan Nakpil supervised the construction of the present house whose funds are sourced mainly from school children's contribution, says the shrine's historical marker.
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| Historical marker plastered along J.P. Rizal Street |
Right across the street stands St. John the Baptist Church, the church where Jose Rizal was baptized three days after he's born. The church baptistery is a recognized historical landmark as well.
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| Saint John the Baptist Church | Calamba, Laguna |
How to Get to Rizal Shrine Calamba
Hop on a bus (in bus stations near LRT Buendia Station) bound for Sta. Cruz, Laguna; then alight near Chowking Calamba where there are tricycles going to Rizal Shrine.
"I am neither immortal nor invulnerable, and my greatest joy will be able to see myself eclipsed by a multitude of our countrymen at the hour of my death. If one is killed or executed, twenty or thirty would hopefully take his place so that they may regret the execution and killing."
— Rizal's letter to Mariano Ponce, 27 June 1888
Rizal Shrine Calamba
Address: F. Mercado cor. J.P. Rizal St. Calamba, Laguna
Opens: Tuesday - Sunday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Entrance: FREE
Contact: (+63) 09175537198 / (049) 8341599
ABOUT
DJ Rivera is an I.T. professional, entrepreneur, travel blogger, writer and the online publisher of PinoyTravelogue.com based in Rizal province, Philippines. Click here to know more.
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