To honor the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, the national government has turned his ancestral home into a shrine. This Spanish-vintage 2-storey house in Calamba, Laguna where Rizal was born and raised stands at the center of town, right across the Calamba church. The shrine houses memorabilia of Rizal's childhood, from photographs and early sculptures made by the late hero to laminated excerpts of some if his best written works, as well as photos of the women in his life. 
The original house was built around 1848 by Rizal's parents, Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso, and was damaged during World War II. It was restored under the supervision of National Artist Juan Nakpil during the term of President Quirino and was inaugurated in 1950. The house has maintained much of its colonial appeal.It's a spacious house with three bedrooms, dining and living rooms and kitchen on the second floor. The window panels are made of capiz shells that let in natural light, thus creating a pleasant and homey atmosphere. I love the splashes of light that burst happily at different angles when one enters a room.
We went to Laguna last weekend looking for a private resort with a swimming pool for Sally's family reunion. After we accomplished our mission, we decided to drive to Rizal Shrine in Calamba. After all, every Filipino should see where the national hero grew up, right? Rizal Shrine is open to the public, free of charge.
the garage...the horse was moonlighting in Sta. Ana :D
dining area
Rizal's bedroom that he shared with his other siblings. He was the 7th of eleven children.
the masters' bedroomTake note of the ubiquitous orinola at the foot of the bed
an antique kerosene lamp
the staircase
the back of the house
a sculpture of a very young Jose Rizal and his dogPosted for Weekend Snapshot
wow that is so nice :) I could get used to that:)
ReplyDeleteit's a good thing that they preserved the house. and i agree with you every filipino should get to know our national hero.
ReplyDeletethanks for visiting my WS!
That was a great virtual tour of the place. So much of info shared, thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhoa! i can't remember the last time I was there. I think it was during my eldest daughter's field trip when she was in pre-school. Boy, that's really a long time ago. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletewow! pero bakit parang mukhang bago na yung bahay,parang renovation ang ginawa at hindi restoration.Hindi tuloy antique ang dating.pero ganda ng angle ng pagkashot mo!
ReplyDeletelove the four poster bed. they don't make details as intricate as those these days. thank you for sharing. now i miss home. come visit my entry here http://kcelebration.blogspot.com/search/label/weekend%20snapshot
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely house and it's huge.
ReplyDeleteI'm from Laguna but I've never been there. I hope to visit it in my next vacation.
ReplyDeleteWow this place is definitely going to be on my travel list. I only hope I can do it as soon as I can. And I think it's great that you mentioned the orinola, otherwise I wouldn't have noticed such a detail that's part of our culture.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week.
This place is definitely going to be on my travel list. It's great that you mentioned the orinola otherwise I wouldn't have noticed such a detail of our culture.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week.
Thank You for sharing the history of Dr.Jose Rizal the National Hero.
ReplyDeleteNice photos and also Thanks for drop by my blog.
I didn't know about his ancestral home. It is now on my list of places to see before I die LOL. Don't get me wrong...Bonifacio is still my Man but he is a close second, maybe third.
ReplyDeletethis place reminds me of my stay in calamba for more than three years yet never did i visit that place. guilty man here.
ReplyDelete3 years in calamba and you never visited Rizal Shrine? wow! siguro nasa swimming pool ka lagi.:D
ReplyDeletefyi...the original bahay na bato was sold to a private individual by the dominican friars in 1891,the owner then divided it to make it into an apartment, then by the passing of time the bato na bato fell into disarray,. rather than to fix the house the owner demolished it..then the house was rebuilt in 1948-1949, the funds used in the construction of the new bahay na bato came from the donations of the school children around the philippines there are only two original parts of the house, the flooring on the first floor (red tiles) and the well outside..original house was built in 1859, dr. rizal was the first to be born in the bahay na bato..it is being maintained by the national historical institute..tnx
ReplyDeletei like the antique kerosene lamp. i have one like it, same design but the lower part is green. i plan to sell it, must be circa 1850's. thanks miranda for the blog, very educational!
ReplyDelete