
<div class="image-400">
<a href="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources/transfer-of-the-urn-of-rizal.webp" rel="lightbox">
<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources/transfer-of-the-urn-of-rizal-t.webp"  alt="The transfer of the urn of the remains of Jose Rizal on Dec. 30, 1912" />
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(The transfer of the urn of the remains of Jose Rizal on Dec. 30, 1912.  The urn was accompanied by the Knights of Rizal who kept vigil the previous night.)
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Now a park located on San Marcelino and General Luna Streets in <a href="https://kahimyang.com/articles/3021/brief-history-of-paco-manila" class="news_link">Paco, Manila</a>, the circular in shape cemetery was originally planned as Manila's municipal cemetery for the well-off and established aristocratic Spanish families living within the area during the Spanish colonial period.
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Dr. Rizal's remains were first buried in this cemetery after his execution at Bagumbayan on December 30, 1896, but were transferred later to the house of his sisters Josefa and Trinidad.
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The urn containing Rizal's bones and other souvenirs was interred at the base of his monument in Rizal Park by the Knights of Rizal in December 1912.
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Also clandestinely buried at the former Paco Cemetery were the three martyred priests - Fr. Mariano Gomez, Fr. Jose Burgos, and Fr. Jacinto Zamora - who were executed on February 17, 1872 after being accused as agitators of the Philippine independence movement.
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In 1912, burial or interment at the Paco Cemetery ceased.
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During the Second World War, Japanese forces used the place as a central supply and ammunition depot. The high thick adobe walls around the park were ideal for defensive positions of the Japanese.
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Paco Park's grandeur was slowly restored after the war. It was converted into a national park in 1966.
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A Roman Catholic chapel was built inside the Paco Park and was dedicated to St. Pancratius.
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Source:
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<ol class="article-sources">
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Philippines News Agency archives
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April 22, 1822: the Paco Cemetery, the burial place of Dr. Jose Rizal, was completed