Pinaglabanan Shrine


Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine 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.

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. 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. Though successful in seizing El Polvorín, the revolutionaries lost the battle, and were unable to reach El Deposito.
After years of dilapidation, a 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.

Administration

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

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. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines runs two museums within the park, the Museo ng Katipunan and the Museo El Deposito. The Spanish-era El Deposito underground reservoir beneath street level has since been restored and is also open to the public.

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