Rizaliana Museum (Cebu City)

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• Category: Heritage Site
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By its name, one could foretell what's inside this memento-filled repository which draws history enthusiasts apparently in quest for more knowledge about our national hero's past. His love stories. his artistic works, scholastic records and other things be had left behind for us to see as living testimonies of his unforgettable deeds.

The Rizaliana Museum came to existence sometime in 1952 when Dr. Jose Rizal's sister, Doña Trinidad happened to visit Cebu bringing with her the personal belongings of the late hero. She donated them all to the museum which later became the Philippines' biggest collection of Rizal's memorabilia, according to the museum curator, Lucio Pulmones.

The museum has among others, rare collections of Rizal's 1990 postcards, 14 of them, with excerpts from his poem "Mi Ultimo Adios" having fourteen stanzas, photograph manuscripts of his write ups, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, donated by Atty. Lourdes Cabrera Tabañag. Also inside the museum can be seen pictures of Rizal's home in Dapitan; his prison cell; the palce of his execution and his tomb. Photos of his eye instruments, a silver pen, pistols and letter opener, likewise more pictures of his winter overcoat, scholastic records, handwriting samples, portraits, family picture, and his snapshots taken at different ages. Can be seen also are portraits of women he adored or believed to be his sweetheart such as Segunda Katigbak of Lipa, Leonor Rivera of Tarlac, Gertrude Becket of London, O Sei San of Japan, Suzanne Jacoby of Brussels, Nelly Bousted of Biarritz, and the chosen one, Josephine Bracken of Ireland who became his wife.

Another pictures found inside the museum are about his family which show his eldest daughter, Doña Narcisa, Doña Olimpia, Doña Lucia, Doña Maria, Doña Concepcion, Doña Josefa, Doña Trinidad, and the youngest of the siblings, Doña Soledad, Don Paciano and Dr. Jose Rizal.

Some of the things Rizal owned can be viewed also inside, like his original sketch book with his wife, Josephine as his model, and his wife's original letter to the director of Oceanic Española' defending her husband from the unfair campaign against Rizal. Our hero's report card from the Institute de Mujeres, his winter vest his high collar, s shirt cuff, his checkered winter coat, a blue striped cotton summer pants, a pair of his brown striped socks, a collarless white shirt and an undershirt.

Visitors can also see a replica of the image of the Heart Jesus that he carved when he was schooling in Ateneo and Rizal's legal and medical books written in the 19th century.

On display also are his artistic works like the carving of a Dapitan girl, Pilosopong Tasyo, Oyang, a boar, a carving of Josephine Bracken, and a crayon sketch of Leonor Rivera.

In 1998 a plaque of Recognition from the National Centennial Commission and another plaque from the Cebu City Government were given to the museum for their project, the " Rizaliana Traveling Museum" as it traveled to 17 cities in the Philippine showing the national here's mementos. The said memorabilia also reached as far as Chicago and Los Angeles in 1999.

Interested individuals who would like to take a glimpse of those artifacts can get inside the museum after paying thirty-five pesos as entrance fee for adults while students could avail a discount rate of fifteen pesos.