after days in Bantayan island, it was time for us to visit one of Cebu's most historical structures. Fort San Pedro also called Fuerza de San Pedro in the Spanish era is the Philippine's smallest and oldest triangular bastion. 
this bastion stands near the coastal area of Cebu which was at that time Cebu's central district. from outside, you will observe coral stones piled to about 20feet high. the entrance displays a typical Spanish fort design with a Sto. Nino image on its center.
upon entering the fort, you'll observe how thick its walls are. the wall is 8 feet thick surrounding a spacious garden. you'll be charged for a minimum fee to enter this triangular bastion.
the ground area is mainly composed of a plain grassy surface with pathways and chairs on one side and a souvenir shop for tourists.
when you reach the second level, there's a small museum that highlights some of the artifacts representing the trading business that happened even before the Spaniards has arrived.
an impressive replica of a wrecked trading ship can also be seen. i was not able to take a pitcure of it as taking photos are not allowed.
in its third level located on top of the museum, you'll have a good view of the whole triangular bastion and its landscape.
since this fort is triangular, it then consists of three bastions namely La Concepcion, Ignacio de Loyola and San Miguel.
this place holds a lot of stories from the Spanish period until the Philippine independence. it was built to protect the town from the rebels in 1738. the Americans along with the Filipino guerrillas overpowered the Spaniards in 1898 and gained control of the bastion and later turned over to the Filipinos. it served as an American barrack but later converted to a school for the Filipinos in Cebu.
not long enough, Japanese took control this bastion. after world war II, the Filipinos regained it and transformed it into a hospital. for several years, it has transformed to a miniature garden, into a a clinic, then to a zoo and finally Cebu city decided to restore and retain its beauty as a historical structure.
i will take time to honor the officials managing this fort because when i was there, people were doing maintenance activities. it reflects how serious they are in valuing it as one the country's historical structure and not just earning from it.
this bastion stands near the coastal area of Cebu which was at that time Cebu's central district. from outside, you will observe coral stones piled to about 20feet high. the entrance displays a typical Spanish fort design with a Sto. Nino image on its center.
upon entering the fort, you'll observe how thick its walls are. the wall is 8 feet thick surrounding a spacious garden. you'll be charged for a minimum fee to enter this triangular bastion.
the ground area is mainly composed of a plain grassy surface with pathways and chairs on one side and a souvenir shop for tourists.
when you reach the second level, there's a small museum that highlights some of the artifacts representing the trading business that happened even before the Spaniards has arrived.
an impressive replica of a wrecked trading ship can also be seen. i was not able to take a pitcure of it as taking photos are not allowed.
in its third level located on top of the museum, you'll have a good view of the whole triangular bastion and its landscape.
since this fort is triangular, it then consists of three bastions namely La Concepcion, Ignacio de Loyola and San Miguel.
this place holds a lot of stories from the Spanish period until the Philippine independence. it was built to protect the town from the rebels in 1738. the Americans along with the Filipino guerrillas overpowered the Spaniards in 1898 and gained control of the bastion and later turned over to the Filipinos. it served as an American barrack but later converted to a school for the Filipinos in Cebu.
not long enough, Japanese took control this bastion. after world war II, the Filipinos regained it and transformed it into a hospital. for several years, it has transformed to a miniature garden, into a a clinic, then to a zoo and finally Cebu city decided to restore and retain its beauty as a historical structure.
i will take time to honor the officials managing this fort because when i was there, people were doing maintenance activities. it reflects how serious they are in valuing it as one the country's historical structure and not just earning from it.
47 comments:
this is an amazing series! I like all the interesting structures
a piece of history. parang Corrigedor to ah...
I love old structures and that one is fascinating. You did such a good job with the photographs and commentary.
What a fascinating place! Wonderful pictures and commentary. It would be fantastic to see this someday.
Love the photos you took from the ground! What an interesting place it must have been to visit.
All beautiful. Yes, the ground-level photos of the way are very moving. If stones could only talk.
sulit talaga ang tirp mo sa cebu dom! matibay pa rin ang mga simbahan o ano mang stone structure noong unang panahon na hanggang ngayon andiyan pa rin.
How come I didnt see these when I was there? The fact my dad is from Cebu... Hmm another place worth visiting.. :D
Very beautiful set of photos. The buildings have very nice architectural structures and designs. Thanks for the history information. Have a nice day.
Great shots, Dong! I enjoyed the historical facts of the place also. Glad you shared it with us!
>luke, thanks!
>ely, maliit nga lang at triangular. daming historical artifacts.
>carver, thanks! structures like these reminds us of our history.
>sandpiper, thanks!
it's a small place worth visiting.
>hi karen, thanks! very interesting because it has not only been a bastion but a hospital and a school as well.
>hi dina, true! if only walls could talk. you'll learn a lot from this triangular bastion.
>redlan, sulit na sulit nga. in fact hindi ko sindya na pumasok dito sa fort san pedro. nakita ko lang siya at naisipan kong pasukin. kala ko kasi hindi maganda sa loob. well preserved ang structure.
>equilibrium, maybe because it is not that known. it is near the Sto Nino Basilica but it is covered by some other bigger structures. it is also my first time to visit this place.
>alicesg, thanks! my pleasure to share the visit.
>hi aisha, thanks! it is always my pleasure to share those visits of nice places.
Another great set of pictures along with the history lesson. Thanks!
Interesting structure. I've always been attracted to facades and walls with lots of textures. And it's good to know people there are doing what they can to preserve its heritage.
may memorable experience ako dito during my college days...di ko lang pwedeng isulat...hehehhh
>hi sandy, my pleasure to share this place.
>ferdz, ako din lalo na yung mga structures na gawa sa corals at limestones. maganda din ang bricks. buti din at magaling ang management dito.
>dakilang islander, astig ah! memorable na historical pa. hehehe...
i want to visit historical sites!!
great photos!
gandang tour nito Diong. ayos talaga ang pagpili mo ng mga angulo at framing. nabibigyan ng ibang tingan ang bawat shots.
great shots bro, i really like historical structures from the spanish era
hmm cguro nga... Grabe nakakainggit talaga travel mo.. :)
>hi aracir, yes. it really helps us trace back what our ancestors contributed during those times.
>hi rayts, maraming salamat! mahirap din maghanap ng magandang angle buti na lang maganda yung structure.
>madbong, thanks! i like old structures in general but in the philippines, we can really say how wonderful the Spanish style structures are.
>hi equi, kayang kaya mo rin ang bumyahe lalo na't taga cebu ka. dami ko pang hindi napupuntahan sa cebu like carcar, moalboal, badian and kawasan.
wow extensive post about fort san pedro... it was nice being there. it was like turning back time...
very nice dong. it brought back memories of the time i was there. ganda ng mga shots.
as usual, another pang-post-card-shots...these old structures simply reminds us how our foreparents fight for the indepence we're having now...
>islander, thanks to the help of wikipedia and the information at the fort itself. happy birthday ulit.
>lawstude, thanks! oo nga. nakapunta ka na nga pala doon.
>me mangyan, thanks! i agree. it brings life to how our ancestors fought against the rebels and the japanese regime.
nakapunta na din ako d2..may garden wedding pa nga nun nung dumalaw ako ...ang ganda=)
wow!!!!!!!! galing ng mga shot mo dong. parang i'm back to the old centuries! cheers dongs! been here before but now i appreciate it more..
Ang crisp ng photos Kuya.
>hi doc rio, galing! baka sign na yon. hehehe...
>olan, salamat! nakita mo na rin pala itong maliit na bastion. ako first time kahit madaming beses na ako pumunta sa cebu.
>earvin, crisp nga talaga.
That fort has quite a history. Certainly the people of Cebu have made good use of it. Is that a new figurine over the main door? The red is subtle and delightful.
I have never heard of a triangular fort. I am more familiar with the star forts. Thanks for the tour and for the insights. Now I can start my day!
Galing! You can probably make a book of all your travels. The pics were all excellent...
thanks for sharing!
Such an old structure and it has great character. I love exploring old buildings.
Grabe kuya donG! You know why I love this series, It's not just simply nagkukwento ka lang. But your stunning shots make me feel like I'm in the same place! Talaga!
I really want to congratulate you for this series! You really did a great job! You made me write Bantayan to the list of my dream spots to visit in the coming years!
Hope everything's fine there! And thanks for the prayers for the victims. Let's still continue para dun sa mga natrap sa loob. God BLesss!
Steven^^
Great shots, Dong! I've never heard of this place before but thanks to the people of Cebu for spending the time, effort, and money to preserve a great monument from their glorious past.
kainis naman.. bakit di ako pinagpala na mapunta sa Cebu? unfair unfair! :(
hi sandy, red figure on the main entrance is the Sto Nino or the Holy Child. it represents the child Jesus which the Spaniards brought to the Philippines to spread Christianity and colonize. it is just a replica of the original one which is now at the Basilica del Sto Nino just a walk away from this fort.
there's fort Augusta in Pennsylvania that has four triangular bastions forming a square fort. that's the closest thing to this that i know.
my pleasure to share some of our historical structures.
>hi em, thanks! hahaha... a travel book. how i wish.
>hi eastcoastlife, a very strong character that allowed it to survived many battles even the world war II.
>steven, hehehe... buti naman at nagugustuhan mo at least in one way nakakatulog to para mas mapapaganda pa ang mga feature ko sa susunod na byahe.
maraming maraming salamat sa mga sinabi mo. talagang maganda sa bantayan at ang cebu na rin as a whole.
ipagpatuloy natin ang pagdadasal para sa kanila at sa mga naiwang pamilya. sana nga may mga nakaligtas pang iba.
>panaderos, yes. medyo hindi kasi ito ganun ka pinopromote dahil sa dami ng ibang magandang structure, places, resorts na meron ang cebu. kahit ako sa daming beses ko ng nakapunta ng cebu ngayon ko lang din ito napasukan. hindi pa sinadya kasi dumaan lang ako tapos parang naisip ko na parang maganda yata sa loob. ayon. ayos nga.
>hi vanny, in time. hehehe... at least baka macoconvince na kita na pumunta ng cebu. it's worth visiting the queen city of the south.
very interesting. so much history attached. glad you featured this.
greetings from Baltimore!
>photocache, thanks! making this posts has reminded me of our history as well.
>raft3r, enjoy your journey.
hmm well yeah kaya nga I love my job kasi kasama sa work namin is travel. :) Lalo na pag pinapadala kame sa abroad, hay grabe.
Sayang nga lang di natuloy ang Paris trip namin, pero sana next time meron kame na project sa European countries para naman makita ko :)
old and rustic .. nice
sign k dyan! hahaha....omen kamo! lols
>hi equi, wow! saya nang ganyang trabaho. sana nga matuloy ang paris ninyo or kahit saan sa europe. i believe traveling is priceless because of the personal memories.
>jericho, thanks! old and well preserved structure.
>hi doc rio, omen? hahaha.... wag naman.
Looks very well kept. The govt has done a good job in preserving this place :) Good shots.
cebu city is very progessive
parang manila na
at may hilton pa sila, ha
kaya yun mga outskirts na lang nila ang mas maganda puntahan
hehe
ano na, exchange links na tayo?
=)
>bw, yes. a joint effort with the private sectors.
>raft3r, yes. they have some international hotels not found in manila like marriot, waterfront and hilton.
sure. i already added you on my blogroll. thanks!
Ginagawa ko itong Fort San Pedro na tambayan habang naghihintay ng ferry papunta ng Bohol :)
excellent post...Keep it up dong!
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