Fort Pilar

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Image of the courtyard of Fort Pilar

Fort Pilar , or, by its full name, El Real Fuerza de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza , is a 17th-century defensive fortress in Zamboanga City on Mindanao Island . It was originally built by the Spanish colonial government of the Philippines as a protective bastion against pirates and Muslim attackers.

Fort Pilar has become the main landmark of Zamboanga City and a symbol of the city's cultural heritage and classified as a National Cultural Treasure .

prehistory

When the Spaniards settled the southern tip of the Zamboanga peninsula towards the end of the 16th century and beginning of the 17th century , they were surrounded by various hostile powers. On the one hand, it was to be expected that the other European naval powers in the region, the Dutch , the British or the Portuguese , were intending to gain a foothold in the Filipino archipelago. Furthermore, there were two large and powerful sultanates in the south of the Philippines at this time. On the one hand the Sultanate of Sulu , on the other hand the Sultanate of Maguindanao , which the Christian invaders attacked again and again to burn down churches and entire villages with the aim of displacing them from the area. The third threat came from Muslim pirates who launched their raids from Malaysia or the Sulu Sea islands .

History of the fort

17th century

In order to protect and defend the Spanish settlement and the associated Jesuit missions, the Spanish governor Don Juan Cerezo Salamanca decided, at the urging of the Jesuit missionaries and the Bishop Fray Pedro of Cebu , to commission the construction of a stone fortress in 1635. The fort was then still under the name "El Real Fuerza de San Jose" . Like other forts with the same characteristics, the fortress was to be constructed as a refuge for the residents, as well as a protective device for the ships anchored in the port and a penitentiary.

The foundation stone was laid on June 23, 1635 by Fr. Melchor de Vera, a Jesuit priest and civil engineer. This date also marks the founding day of the village of Zamboanga, which was still known under the names Jambangan and Samboangan in pre- Hispanic times. The construction of the early fort passed into the tenure of Governor Don Juan Cerezo Salamanca, the former governor of Panama . Due to the insufficient number of workers, workers from Cavite , Cebu , Bohol and Panay were transferred to support the Spanish and Mexican forces on site with the construction. This period marks the beginning of the Chabacano language as a pidgin language , a lingua franca that later developed into the creole language of the Zamboangueños.

The fort was attacked by the Dutch in 1646 during the naval battles of La Naval de Manila , but they were repulsed by five Spanish and two Filipino companies. In the years 1662 to 1663 the Spanish troops were ordered back to Manila to provide support in the fight against the Chinese pirate Kui Seng (or Co Send, Koxinga, Xing-Ye in Chinese), who had previously driven the Dutch out of Taiwan . When they withdrew in 1663, the Spaniards destroyed their fortress as a precaution so that it could not fall into the hands of the Moros .

The first reconstructions by the Jesuit missionaries were resumed in 1669, as pirates and raiding troops from the sultanates had steadily destroyed the fortress in the previous years. The loss of the garrison and the destruction of the fort immediately led to an increase in raids on Christian towns, which resulted in the death or displacement of thousands of residents and the loss of ships. In addition, the destruction of the infrastructure led to the decline of agriculture. In order not to completely lose the influence in this region, the colonial government decided to rebuild the fort.

18th century

In 1718, on the orders of the Spanish Governor General Don Fernando Manuel de Bustillo Bustamante y Rueda, the reconstruction of the fortifications on the foundations of the former fort began under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuit priest and building designer Juan Sicarra, which was completed on April 8, 1719. The fort was named in honor of the patron saint of Spain , Our Lady of the Pillar , in El Real Fuerza de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza renamed. The newly built fort, which almost corresponds to today's structure, was therefore placed under the blessing of Our Lady on the pillar and has since been referred to as Fort Pilar for the sake of simplicity .

The following year, Rajah Dalasi, King of Butig, stormed the fort with an army of 3,000 Moro pirates. In 1734 a statue of the Virgen del Pilar was placed high above the eastern wall of the fort. On January 21, 1798 the fortress was bombed by British ships. The unexpected victory over the British despite outnumbered land forces was attributed to the protection of the Virgin Mary .

19th century

On September 15, 1872, the fort was the scene of a revolt of 70 prisoners. In 1897 the area was hit by epidemics, but they were quickly contained. A series of earthquakes followed in September of the same year, but compared to other events of this type, they had only minor effects.

On May 18, 1899, during the late phase of the Philippine Revolution , the Spanish troops of the fort surrendered to the armed forces of the Zamboanga Revolutionary Government under the command of the Zamboangueño General Vicente Alvarez. However, the majority of the Spaniards left the fortress a year earlier after the Philippines had been ceded to the United States due to Spain's defeat in the Spanish-American War . On November 19, 1899, the fort was captured by the US Navy Expeditionary Force.

20th century

On December 8, 1941, the ominous news of the outbreak of war between the United States and Japan reached the people of Zamboanga via the radio stations. It was clear to every resident that it was only a matter of time before the Japanese army would attack the Philippines. On March 2, 1942, Japanese troops finally landed on the coast of the peninsula. The local land forces managed over long distances to keep the superior enemy forces in check and prevent them from penetrating the interior. But soon the troops had to surrender to the Japanese at the behest of the highest military command. The enemy who occupied the city and fort quickly learned that the people's devotion to the shrine of the Virgen del Pilar ensured peace and stability in the area, so they refrained from devastating the shrine and allowed it instead visiting the pilgrimage site.

From the morning of September 14, 1944, various squadrons of fighter planes darkened the sky over the city and bombed enemy positions and facilities. In the months to come, the attacks increased and in March 1945 American forces finally retook the city and the fort.

On July 4, 1946, Fort Pilar officially became the property of the Republic of the Philippines.

Building the fort

The place where the fort was built was a swampy area overgrown with mangroves on the southern tip of the Zamboanga peninsula. From here one had a view of the island of Basilan and looked towards the Sulu archipelago . The fort was built from thick stone walls and had an almost square plan. The fortress was equipped with tapering bastions at the corners . The fort was big enough to house the Spanish officers, soldiers and their families. A church, a school and a hospital were set up in the interior.

In 1784 the La Caldera Fort was restored as part of the additional fortification of the main fortress defense system. It was seven square feet (0.65 m²) and was built from large blocks of red coral rock that apparently did not come from the local area, according to a lieutenant on a US Navy expedition who explored the fort in 1842.

Two log houses, designated Santa Barbara and Santa Cutalina, were originally connected to the main fort by a solid stone wall. However, the wall and log houses were demolished in the later years when there was no longer any use for them.

Today a national museum is set up in the fort, which presents various exhibits that document the culture of the indigenous people of this area, the Subanen, the Sama Badjao and the Yakan, as well as informing about the regional oceanography and botany.

The shrine of Mary

The statue of the Virgen del Pilar was placed on the highest point of the eastern fortress wall of the stone fort in January 1734. Originally there was an image of the Blessed Virgin in a prominent front gable above the entrance gate. Shortly after its erection, the statue became the target of many believers who asked the Blessed Mother for her blessing. The American General M. Krobbe was deeply impressed by the crowds of pilgrims who came to the fort at the beginning of the 20th century. Under this impression he gave the order to beautify this site, although he was not a Catholic himself. Similarly, a few years later, Maj. General Wood, then governor of the province, as well as his wife, both also non-Catholic, showed great interest in the east wall and began to improve it at their own expense. Due to the military function of the fort, however, there was not much room for expansion.

Today the east wall has been expanded into an uncovered shrine, which is clearly different in color from the rest of the stone wall. A gilded crown rests above the gable with the statue of Mary, which is spanned by a decorative arch. An altar is set in the former entrance gate. The area in front of the shrine is spacious and equipped with seats. The wall bears two inscriptions.

Today, from October 3rd to 11th, daily processions from La Purisima Cathedral to Pilar Fort are held at 5 a.m. , followed by a Holy Mass at the shrine.

See also

Web links

Coordinates: 6 ° 54 ′ 4.1 ″  N , 122 ° 4 ′ 55.5 ″  E