The Historical City of Malolos

Although SteemPH.Manila is the Manila arm of SteemPH, this communal account also includes nearby provinces like Cavite, Laguna, and Bulacan.

In a previous post, @monkeypattycake gave us a whimsical tour of the Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago. She shared photos from the museum and gave a brief history of the life and love of the Philippines' National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

Today, I will give you a tour of Malolos, one of the most historical cities in the country.

Barasoain Church

It is said that to cite all historical events that transpired in Malolos, one could fill a good-sized book. Malolos, after all, is nicknamed Cradle of the Philippine Republic being the site of the constitutional convention in 1898. The Malolos Convention, which was formed in the sanctuary of Barasoain Church, led to the establishment of the First Philippine Republic, the first of its kind in the whole of Asia.

Malolos Cathedral

The Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception or simply Malolos Cathedral is also a historical church that could be found in Malolos. It served as the Presidential Palace of the first Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo during the First Philippine Republic.

The Kalayaan tree located at the patio of the Cathedral also has historical significance as the tree remains to be a living witness to the Malolos Republic; it is said that many political discussions were conducted under the tree. A monument was placed symbolizing the meeting of the Filipino revolutionaries.

Museum of the Women of Malolos

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On December 12 1988, twenty-one young women from Malolos wrote a letter petitioning that the newly-arrived Governor General allow the opening of a night school, where they could learn how to read and write Spanish. They believed that learning the language would eradicate friar domination and expose them to liberal ideas that was abundant in Europe. After much objections from the friar, they were given the Governor General's blessing to open the school in early 1889. Although the school only lasted two months thanks to the incessant opposition and persecution from the friars and militarists, the boldness and success of these 21 young women were much applauded by Filipinos. Their greatest adulation came from no less than Dr. Jose Rizal who wrote a poem dedicated to them, "Sa Mga Kababayang Dalaga Sa Malolos". To this day, these twenty-one brave young women are celebrated. The Uitiangcoy-Santos Heritage House currently stands as the Museum of the Women of Malolos, a privately-owned museum that showcases collections of artifacts and other memorabilia related to these women in history.

Casa Real

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Also called Casa Real de Malolos or Casa Real Shrine built in 1580. Originally, it served as as the seat of government of the town then became the office of the Treasury and the office of the town's gobernadorcillo before it served as the national printing press of the First Republic. It was turned into a hospital in 1923 and later became an annex of Bulacan High School before it was turned into a municipal library. It is now a museum that houses memorabilia like relics from the 21 Women of Malolos.

The best thing about these places is that they're very near each other. On Sundays, Red and park our car just outside the Barasoain church to go to Bayan, THE market place of Malolos. It's a 5 minute-walk and along the way, we pass by the gate of Casa Real, the street that cradles Museum of the Women of Malolos, and the glorious Malolos Cathedral right before entering the narrow streets of the wet market.