Barasoain Church: Cradle of the Republic

The 114^th anniversary of the independence of the Philippine Republic is being celebrated today. Considering that Malolos was the seat of this Republic, I will be sharing some pictures of the historical shrine Barasoain Church.

The First Philippine Congress convened there on September 15, 1898.  The church also saw the drafting of the Malolos Constitution from September 29, 1898 to January 21, 1899.  The First Philippine Republic was inaugurated there on January 23, 1899. Barasoain Church was declared a National Shrine by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 260 on August 1, 1973.

Historical markers at the front of the church:

Being the president of the First Philippine Republic, there is a statue of Emilio Aguinaldo near the front gate of the church yard.

Aside from Aguinaldo, former President Joseph Estrada was also sworn in at the Barasoain Church on June 30, 1998.

Interestingly, the terms of Aguinaldo and Estrada ended prematurely:

Aguinaldo was captured by American forces in Palanan, Isabela on March 23, 1901 paving the way for the end of the First Philippine Republic.

On the other hand, Estrada was ousted by popular revolt on January 20, 2001 over charges of plunder, the trial of which being heard by the Senate that time.

Now let us go to the interiors of the church. The existing structure was built in 1885, so we can expect European influences on the architecture.

President Benigno S. Aquino III led the flag-raising ceremony that was held there as part of the Independence Day celebrations on June 12, 2012. 

Barasoain Church is also depicted in different versions of the 10-peso bill.

It can also be recalled that the 1991 remake film Lucio and Miguel, starring Redford White and Eric Quizon, was shot there. However, I'll skip the details of this movie, which will be a subject of a future post.

Barasoain Church is only about 45 kilometers from Manila.  I suggest to readers to make a visit, observe, and gain insights into the birth of our nation.