Fort San Pedro Cebu 14 Nov 2015

Both of us actually had done up some researches before we came to Cebu, we are planning to do touring within the Cebu City of our own, just like a free and easy trip.

After our Temple works in the morning sessions, which was ended approximately 11.30am.

We called a cab back to our hotel, and get changed to more leisure clothing, and we set off for our own free and easy trip.

The Fort San Pedro was our first destination, we took a cab to there. The Fort San Pedro or Fuerza de San Pedro is the place where one can have a glimpse of Cebu’s rich history.

Fort San Pedro is located in Plaza Indepedencia in the pier area of Cebu City. With an entrance fee of only P30, you can already tour inside the fort and travel back in time to the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines.

Once we enter the Fort, we already indulged our eyes with the images posted on the walls of barrel vault entrance, depicting the gradual development of the fort.

The work on the fort was first constructed on May 8, 1565 and it was made of wood, then of stone. It was built to defend the locals against the Spanish expedition who wanted to colonize the area.

11 days after the fort began to be built, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived here and founded the first Spanish settlement in Cebu.

There are also a portrait of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who led the Spanish expedition that eventually reached Philippines in 1521.

Fort San Pedro is said to be the oldest and the smallest fort in the Philippines, covering an area of 2,025 square meters. Its walls are 20 feet tall and 8 feet thick, forming a triangle with uneven lengths: two sides face the sea and the other the land, where the current entrance gate to the fort is located.

The gate has two rectangular columns that flank a raised Philippine flag, that serves as the apex of the structure. Three tunnel-shaped windows sit on top of a gable which hosts a niche that shelters an image of the Sto. Nino, the city’s patron saint.

Each corner of the triangular fort harbours a bastion — the San Ignacio de Loyola in the southeast corner, La Concepcion in the southwest, and San Miguel in the north corner.

On each corner stands a turret that serves as a watchtower. There are 14 cannons installed at the site along with a number of trees and ornamental plants that serve as inanimate ushers around the fort

The fort used to be the place of military garrison Warwick Barracks, then a park, Cebu Garden Club, Cebu Zoo, government offices and now it has been converted to a National shrine.

There is a little shrine to pray and a well Pozo de la Virgen. Besides that is a small exhibition room displaying on the history of the famous Holy Child and his relationships with the Cebu City.

During when we were leaving the site, it is so lucky or blessed of us of asking a Korean guy took our family photo in front of the signage of the fort.

think he must be so professional in photography, as he was so delighted and happy during looking at Daddy’s Canon 7D camera and he told us that, “I know how to use this!”

He just took over the camera and snapped without looking on it and manually adjust the lens and etc. He just smile at us and gave us back.

Our family photo looks amazing great! We love it even though it was really a sunny hot day for us!

 

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