RIZAL’S LIFE, WORKS AND WRITINGS

Martyrdom at
Bagumbayan

© 2010
01
• After being court-martialed, Rizal returned
to his cell in Fort Santiago to prepare
his rendezvous with destiny.
• During his last 24 hours on earth – from
6:00
A.M. of Dec. 29 to 6:00 A.M. of Dec. 30, 1896
– he was busy meeting visitors which includes
his family and friends.
• He was also able to write his last poem –
his final contribution for the emancipation of
the Filipino people.

INTRODUCTION Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 02

Rizal’s Prison Cell Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 3
 December 29, 1896
• 6:00 A.M. – Captain Rafael Rodriguez read
Rizal’s death sentence – he will be shot at the
back by firing squad at 7:00 A.M. in
Bagumbayan.
• 7:00 A.M. – Rizal was moved to the prison
chapel where he spent his last moments.
His first visitors were Jesuit priests.
• 7:15 A.M. – Rizal reminded Fr. Luis Viza
the statuette of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
whom he carved as a student in Ateneo.

Last Hours of Rizal Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 4

 December 29, 1896
• 8:00 A.M. – Rizal had a breakfast with Fr.
Antonio Rosell. After breakfast, his attorney,
Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade came.
• 9:00 A.M. – Fr. Frederico Faura arrived. Rizal
reminded the priest of his earlier ‘prophecy’
about Rizal.
• 10:00 A.M. – More Jesuit priests had
visited him. After then, he was
interviewed by Santiago Mataix for the
newspaper El Heraldo de Madrid.
Last Hours of Rizal Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 5
 December 29, 1896
• 12:00 – 3:30 P.M. – Rizal was left alone in his
cell. He took his lunch and continued
writing his farewell poem which he hid in
an alcohol cooking stove. He also wrote his
last letter to Professor Blumentritt.
• 3:30 P.M. – Father Vicente Balaguer returned
to his cell and discussed with Rizal his
retraction letter.

Last Hours of Rizal Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 6

 December 29, 1896
• 4:00 P.M. – Teodora Alonzo visited him. They
had a very emotional encounter. Rizal gave
the alcohol cooking stove to Trinidad which
contains his farewell poem. Several priests
have visited him afterwards.
• 6:00 P.M. – Don Silvino Lopez, dean of
the Manila Cathedral visited him.
• 8:00 P.M. – Rizal had his last supper. He told
Captain Dominguez that he forgave
his enemies including the military judges.
Last Hours of Rizal Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 7
Mi Ultimo Adios Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 8
 December 29, 1896
• 9:30 P.M. – Rizal was visited by Don
Gaspar Cestano, fiscal of the Royal
Audience de Manila.
• 10:00 P.M. – The draft of the retraction
letter sent by the anti-Filipino
Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda was
given by Fr. Balaguer to Rizal for his
signature. He had rejected it.

Last Hours of Rizal Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 9

• Upon Rizal’s death, his supposedly ‘retraction
letter’ became of one of the most controversial
documents in our history.
• This ‘retraction letter’ allegedly contains his
renunciation of the Masonry and his ‘anti-Catholic
religious ideas.’
• Depending on whose side you are on, some
Rizalists claims that it is fake while some believe it
to be genuine.
•There had been some evidences but so far these
had only heated up the debate between the
two factions.
Retraction Letter Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 10
 December 30, 1896
• 3:00 A.M. – Rizal heard Mass, confessed
his sins and took Holy Communion.
• 5:30 A.M. – He took his last breakfast.
After which he wrote his last letters for his
family and his brother, Paciano.

Last Hours of Rizal Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 11

 I am about to die,
Now“
and it is to you I dedicate
my last lines, to tell you
how sad I am to leave you
alone in life, burdened

”
with the weight of the
family and our old parents.

Letter to Paciano Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 12

 December 30, 1896
• 5:30 A.M. – Josephine Bracken arrived
together with Rizal’s sister, Josefa, with
tears in her eyes, bade him farewell.
Rizal embraced her for the last time, and
before she left, Rizal gave her a last gift –
a religious book, Imitation of Christ by
Father Thomas Kempis.

Last Hours of Rizal Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 13

 December 30, 1896

• 6:00 A.M. – As the soldiers were

getting ready for the death march
to Bagumbayan, Rizal wrote his
last letter to his beloved parents.

Last Hours of Rizal Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 14

“me for the pain with
My beloved Father, which
repay you, for sorrows
I

pardon
and sacrifices for my
education. I did not want it

”
nor did I prefer it.
Goodbye Father, goodbye.

Letter to his Father Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 15

 “ Sra. Dona Teodora Alonso
To my very dear Mother,
6 o’oclock in the morning,

”
December 30, 1896.

Letter to his Mother Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 16

• At about 6:30 A.M., a trumpet sounded at Fort
Santiago, a signal to begin the death march to
Bagumbayan.
• Rizal walked calmly with his defense
counsel and two Jesuit priests at his sides.
• He was dressed elegantly in a black
suit, black derby hat, black shoes, white
shirt and black tie. His arms were tied
behind from elbow to elbow.
• There a lot of spectators lining the street from
Fort Santiago to Bagumbayan.
Death March to Bagumbayan Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 17
• As he was going through the narrow
Postigo Gate, Rizal looked at the sky and said
to one of the priests: “How beautiful it is
today, Father. What morning could be more
serene! How clear is Corregidor and the
mountains of Cavite! On mornings like this, I
used to take a walk with my sweetheart.”
• While he was passing in front of the
Ateneo, he saw the college towers above the
walls. He asked: “Is that the Ateneo,
Father?” “Yes”, replied the priest.

Death March to Bagumbayan Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 18

Death March to Bagumbayan Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 19
• Rizal bade farewell to Fathers March
and Vilaclara and to his defender, Lt. Luis
Taviel de Andrade. Although his arms were
tied, he had firmly clasped their hands in
parting.
• One of the priests blessed him and offered
him a crucifix to kiss.
He requested the commander of the firing
squad that he be shot facing them. His
request was denied for the captain had implicit
orders to shoot him at his back.

Martyrdom of a Hero Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 20

•A Spanish military physician, Dr. Felipe Ruiz
Castillo, asked his permission to feel his
pulse. He was amazed to find it normal,
showing that Jose Rizal was not afraid to die.
• The death ruffles of the drums filled the air.
Above the drum beats, the sharp command “Fire”
was heard, and the guns of the firing
squad barked. Rizal, with supreme effort,
turned his bullet-riddled body to the right, and
fell on the ground dead – with face upward
facing the morning sun. It was exactly 7:03 in
the morning – aged 35 years, 5 months and 11
days.
Martyrdom of a Hero Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 21
Martyrdom of a Hero Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 22
“ break, through the gloom
I die just when I see the dawn
of night, to herald the day; And
if color is lacking my blood
shalt take, pour’d out at
thou
need for thy sake, to dye
with its crimson the waking
ray.
”
Martyrdom of a Hero Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 23
• It is interesting to know that 14 years
before his execution, Rizal predicted that he
would die on December 30th. He was then a
medical student in Madrid, Spain.

Martyrdom of a Hero Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 24

“ There can be no
tyrants where
there are no
slaves.
Taken from ‘El
Jose Rizal Martyrdom at Bagumbayan 26