Sunday, September 8, 2013

MOTTO STELLA (GUIDING STAR) a.k.a. RIZAL MONUMENT




The Rizal Monument originally called the Motto Stella (Guiding star) is a memorial monument in Rizal Park in ManilaPhilippines built to commemorate theFilipino nationalist, José Rizal. The mausoleum consists of a standing bronze sculpture of the martyr, with an obelisk as his backdrop, set on a pedestal upon which his remains are interred. A plaque on the pedestal front reads: "To the memory of José Rizal, patriot and martyr, executed on Bagumbayan Field December Thirtieth 1896. This monument is dedicated by the people of the Philippine Islands".
The perimeter of the monument is in a continuous ritual guarding by the Philippine Marine Corps’ Marine Security and Escort Group. About a 100 m (330 ft) west of the monument is the exact location where Rizal was executed represented by life-size dioramas of his final moments.


SYMBOLISM
There is also no official explanation of the meaning of the monument’s details. The monument depicts Rizal in overcoat holding a book, that represent his novels Noli Me Tángere and El filibusterismo. The obelisk is usually taken to mean Rizal’s masonic background while the three stars are said to stand for Luzon, theVisayas and Mindanao. The figures at the back of the monument, such as leaves and a pot, are said to symbolize the country’s natural resources. The consensus is that the figures beside Rizal—a mother rearing her child and two young boys reading—signify family and education. 

HISTORY
The Rizal Monument was planned and constructed during the American colonial period of the Philippines in the early 20th century.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rizal_Monument

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