Museum of Jose Rizal, Fort Santiago, the Philippines

On 6 October 1896, Jose Rizal was seized in Barcelona, Spain, while on his way to Cuba to serve as a military doctor. After being deported to the Philippines, he was detained at Fort Santiago. Following the preliminary investigations in November, Rizal was put on trial at the Cuartel de España on 26 December and was ruled guilty of rebellion, sedition, and conspiracy. Judge Advocate for the case Captain Rafael Dominguez notified Rizal of his death sentence in the morning of 29 December; his execution scheduled the next day. He spent his final day receiving guests, composing letters, and completing his valedictory poem. In the morning of 30 December, he began his march to Bagumbayan field. Having accepted his fate, Rizal was in a calm disposition nearing the time of his death. As shots rang out from the guns of the firing squad, Rizal tried to face his executioners, fell down, and died facing the sky. The Museum of Jose Rizal, Fort Santiago (Museo ni Jose Rizal, Fort Santiago) is housed in the actual site where the Filipino polymath was detained during his last days. After being destroyed during the Second World War, the structure was reconstructed in 1953. It has since become one of the museums under the supervision of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines which honours Jose Rizal, the other two being in Calamba, Laguna and Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte. The Museum features Jose Rizal’s last days, from his departure from Dapitan until his execution in Bagumbayan, through modernised exhibits and artifact displays in its six galleries. Permanent collections of the Museum of Jose Rizal, Fort Santiago, include the following:

• A collection of personal effects and clothes used by Dr. Jose Rizal
• A collection of sculptures created by Dr. Jose Rizal
• The vertebra from the remains of Dr. Jose Rizal
• A collection of paintings related to the life and death of Dr. Jose Rizal

View all Asia-Europe Museum Network (ASEMUS) members in the Philippines

View also the profile of the Museum of Jose Rizal in Calamba