Rizal Monument (Madrid)

The Rizal Monument is a memorial in Madrid, Spain built to commemorate José Rizal, an executed Filipino nationalist regarded as a national hero of the Philippines. Located at a corner of the Parque de Santander along the Avenida de Filipinas in the district of Chamberí, the monument is a near-exact replica of Motto Stella, the monument erected in Rizal's memory near his execution site at the modern-day Rizal Park in Manila.

Rizal Monument
Monumento a José Rizal
Bantayog ni Jose Rizal
The monument in 2023
40°26′28.2″N 3°42′28.3″W
LocationAvenida de Filipinas, Chamberí, Madrid
DesignerRichard Kissling
Florante "Boy" Caedo
TypeCenotaph
MaterialGranite
Height15 m (49 ft)
Opening dateDecember 5, 1996
Dedicated toJosé Rizal, a Filipino nationalist

History

The Rizal Monument was built in 1996.[1] Unlike other countries which erected their own Rizal monuments in the 1960s, during the centennial of his birth, Spain at the time refused to consider building one owing to prevailing negative sentiment against Rizal in the country.[2]

Changing attitudes in Spain towards Rizal's legacy eventually led to the monument being built,[3] nearly a century after he was executed by Spanish authorities, an event that led to the Philippine Revolution.[1] The monument was ultimately inaugurated on December 5, 1996,[4] part of a number of celebrations leading to the Philippine Centennial nearly two years later.[5] The inauguration was attended by President Fidel V. Ramos, former Vice President Salvador Laurel who served as president of the National Centennial Commission, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Abel Matutes, and Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, President of the Community of Madrid.[6]

On November 18, 2010, Brother Jaazael Jakosalem, a visiting Augustinian Recollect priest and property administrator of the University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos in Bacolod, reported to Bacolod-based newspaper The Visayan Daily Star that the monument had been defaced with red anti-Mason graffiti, hinting at Rizal's former Masonic sympathies.[5] The Philippine Embassy in Madrid immediately requested that the Madrid city government clean up the monument, which they did the next day.[7]

Design and layout

The Rizal Monument is located on a 70 m2 (750 sq ft) lot, donated by the Madrid city government,[8] at the corner of the Parque de Santander.[9] While the monument is based on the original design of the Manila monument by Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling, the monument's bronze statues were created by Filipino sculptor Florante "Boy" Caedo, with landscaping work done by Spanish architect Manuel Rivero Vázquez, who headed the Madrid city government's urban design office.[10] The monument weighs around 200 tons.[4]

Although said by some to be an exact replica, most notably by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,[11] a few slight differences distinguish the Madrid monument from the original. With a height of 15 m (49 ft),[4] the monument is slightly taller than the 12.7 m (42 ft) of the original.[12] The bronze statue of Rizal, standing four m (13 ft) tall,[8] is also looking straight ahead as opposed to the original, where he is looking sideways.[13] The front of the pedestal, meanwhile, contains two plaques: one commemorating its inauguration in 1996, and another, unveiled on October 28, 2022, celebrating 75 years of Philippines–Spain relations.[6]

To the sides of the monument are smaller brass markers engraved with Rizal's final work, "Mi último adiós", with the Spanish original on the left and on the right, a Tagalog translation.[1] The Tagalog translation was written by José Gatmaytan, whose translation is also displayed near the original monument in Manila.[14]

Surrounding the monument are upscale apartment buildings with a few commercial establishments,[15] as well as green space formed by the Parque de Santander and a new park being redeveloped on the site of the Tercer Depósito de Canal de Isabel II,[16] which previously hosted a golf range.[17] An ice cream stand also once stood directly opposite the monument.[1] The Estadio de Vallehermoso, meanwhile, stands across from the monument on the other side of the Calle de Santander.[1]

Cultural significance

The Rizal Monument in Madrid holds significant sentimental value for Filipinos, and is said to be one of the most prominent landmarks for Filipinos visiting the city.[18] The Philippine Embassy in Madrid often points people to the monument as one of a number of Rizal-themed tourist sites, and it also organizes annual commemorations celebrating Rizal's birth and death at the site.[19] Presidents Arroyo and Benigno Aquino III have also laid flowers at the monument during their respective state visits to Spain.[20][21] Filipinos in Spain have also organized rallies in front of the monument: in 2019, members of the local community organized a rally at the monument denouncing the Communist Party of the Philippines.[22]

Other prominent Filipinos in Spain have been seen at the monument. At its inauguration in 1996, socialite Isabel Preysler was in attendance, and her arrival drew all the photographers sent to cover the event to her, leading an organizer to point out that the monument they were sent to take pictures of was actually opposite where she was standing.[23]

See also

References
  1. Alpuente, Moncho (April 27, 1998). "Lo último de Filipinas" [The last one of the Philippines]. El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  2. Ichimura, Anri (February 16, 2021). "The Philippines in the Heart of Spain". Esquire. Summit Media. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  3. Lantin, Alo (June 19, 2019). "5 places the Rizal fan must visit when in Madrid". ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  4. Jiménez Barca, Antonio (December 5, 1996). "Monumento a un héroe filipino" [Monument to a Philippine hero]. El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  5. Gomez, Carla (November 18, 2010). "Rizal monument vandalized". The Visayan Daily Star. Archived from the original on November 22, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  6. "Marker ng ika-75 anibersaryo ng diplomatic relations ng PH-Spain, pinasinayaan" [Marker for 75th anniversary of PH-Spain relations inaugurated] (in Filipino). ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs. November 30, 2022. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  7. "Base of Rizal's monument in Madrid cleaned after being vandalized" (Press release). Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. November 23, 2010. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via the Official Gazette.
  8. Roda, Ramon M. (December 29, 2014). "Looking for Jose Rizal in Madrid". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  9. Malasig, Jeline (January 16, 2019). "The sun is always shining on a Jose Rizal monument in the world". TV5 News and Information. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  10. Rosa, María (March 26, 2020). Paseo por Madrid. Distrito de Chamberí, Islas Filipinas [Walk around Madrid: Chamberí District, Islas Filipinas] (Report). Paseos por Madrid (in Spanish). Complutense University of Madrid. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  11. "Remarks of President Arroyo during her visit to Madrid City Hall [Spanish and English]". Official Gazette. December 3, 2007. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023. The city of Madrid also houses several historic sites related to the reform movement headed by the most brilliant patriots. I have already mentioned Rizal, among others. The most notable is the exact replica of the Rizal Monument in Luneta Park in Manila which is now proudly standing in the Avenida de Filipinas in the district of Moncloa. [sic] Thanks for the full support of the city of Madrid.
  12. "The Centenary of the Rizal Monument". Official Gazette. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  13. Jacinto Cariño, Gwen (June 19, 2011). "Retracing Rizal's foot steps in Madrid". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  14. "Huling Paalam" [My Last Farewell]. JoseRizal.ph (in Filipino). Jose Rizal University. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  15. Silva, John L. (June 16, 2002). "Travels with Jose". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  16. "La Comunidad de Madrid destina 9,9 millones para empezar las obras del nuevo parque de Chamberí" [Community of Madrid allocates 9.9 million to begin work on a new park in Chamberí] (in Spanish). Telemadrid. January 27, 2021. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  17. Pornelos, Vince (January 1, 2016). "Driving Madrid: Exploring Spain's Capital From Behind The Wheel". C!. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  18. González, Eduardo (January 7, 2021). "The Philippines Embassy in Madrid commemorates anniversary of Jose Rizal's death". The Diplomat in Spain. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  19. Roldan, Ralf G.; Mabayo, Raisa A. (December 29, 2017). "Jose Rizal in Present-Day Madrid". Embassy of the Philippines, Madrid. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  20. "La presidenta de Filipinas comienza en Madrid su visita oficial a España" [Philippine president begins her official visit to Spain in Madrid]. El Mundo (in Spanish). June 29, 2006. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  21. Morong, Joseph (September 15, 2014). "PNoy begins 4-nation European trip at Madrid's Rizal monument". GMA News and Public Affairs. Archived from the original on October 3, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  22. "Filipinos in Spain condemn CPP-NPA". Philippine News Agency. April 29, 2019. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  23. "Nobel Prize winner confirms romance with Filipino socialite". Philippine Daily Inquirer. July 3, 2015. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
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