It took me three years to finally
visit Bahay Nakpil Bautista, dubbed as the Home of the Katipuneros. I first saw this house online but didn’t know
the exact location although I always go to fascinating Quiapo. The house is
preserved and in good condition thanks to the Nakpil Bautista Foundation and
volunteers who provide tours and upkeep of the place. I have been inside
heritage houses for years and this house had a great vibe, it had happy
memories and didn’t feel haunted.
To be honest, I did not know much
about Gregoria de Jesus, Andres Bonifacio’s wife and Katipunan’s muse. Sure I
read about Bonifacio but it wasn’t in the same passion as I did with Dr. Jose
Rizal. After the tour, I think I have fallen in love with the couple and their
efforts for the country. I am also disappointed with how history book authors
depicted Katipunan heroes, there were some misconceptions according to Emeng,
who is a businessman but volunteers in his free time as a tour guide. I felt
special since I was the only guest and I had the whole house to myself after
the tour. I wanted to cry out of sheer joy. Heritage houses give me a different
kind of high.
Emeng started the tour by pointing out a mirror in the ceiling near the front door – a very vintage CCTV camera type of security feature to see guests way back in 1914
when the house was built by Arcadio Arellano for Dr. Ariston Bautista and his
wife, Perona Nakpil along Barbosa Street (now Bautista Street). It’s actually a
merging of two houses hence the huge size of 500 square meters. The house style
is called Vienna Secession, not familiar during that time.
He gave a brief history of
Quiapo, its name came from “kiyapo”, which grows in Pasig River, a small water
lily type of water resistant plant. Quiapo is made up of “esteros” or canals and
during the Spanish era, grandiose houses and various institutions stood along
Hidalgo Street and nearby areas. Two churches are located in between this
famous street, Quiapo Church and San Sebastian Church. Quiapo Church or The
Cathedral of the Black Nazarene is the place of worship for the lower class
while San Sebastian is where rich people pray back in the day. A small Black
Nazarene statue is located in the garage and an interesting trivia is that
during wartime, the real statue was hidden in the house to prevent from being
bombed or looted in church.
“Key figures in Philippine
history had lived in the Nakpil-Bautista House. Among them are Dr. Ariston
Bautista, one of the first professors in the University of the Philippines
College of Medicine, also invented a medicine to combat cholera. Gregoria de
Jesus, widow of Andres Bonifacio; later married to Julio Nakpil, who was the
brother of Petrona, Juan Nakpil, a National Artist for Architecture, and Angel
Nakpil.” Such a powerhouse cast of
Katipunan heroes blew me away.
“Known as a lover and
enthusiastic supporter of music and the arts, Dr. Bautista subsidized a Tagalog
drama and, with a group of friends, financed the bringing of an Italian Opera
Company to present “La Tosca” in Manila.
Different groups of friends frequented the house, where tertulias with
piano recitals, singing, poetry sessions and discussions were often held,
complemented by the delightful cuisine of his favorite in-law, Gregoria de
Jesus.”
“In this house, the painting “Intérieur d’un
Café” (Parisian Life) by Juan Luna was once displayed. The painting was
exhibited at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904, where it won a Silver Medal.”
This painting is now located in GSIS Museum and has a price tag of $20M US
dollars.
There are several rooms near the
entresuelo, or the foyer where the families reside while on the second floor
the elder Bautistas stayed in the master’s bedroom. The ground floor room is
now used for children community projects. It also displays the music sheets of
Julio Nakpil and the valuable letters of Andres Bonifacio to him.
As we went up the enormous second
floor, a homage to Oriang is seen with her paintings and writings. Another room
has a display of Dr. Bautista’s works and artifacts.
A fourth room features the
jewelry making family business among many of their creative pursuits. The master’s
bedroom has the collection of Katipunan flags, an interesting ballot table,
documents written in blood, vintage safe and a sky roof.
The living room has a cool rattan sofa where Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio and others sat and discussed La Liga Filipina plans. The large windows and balcony used to face the Pasig River during the turn of the century and Oriang would always stay in that spot according to Emeng.
The dining hall and the house is
inspired by “Vienna Secession, a style not well known in the Philippines during
this time. Viennese artists of the 1890s reacted to the fashionable revival of
historic styles by creating a style with a contemporary character. The
Secession was thus the same as art nouveau. After Dr. Ariston Bautista and his
wife, Petrona Nakpil the painter, received a gift of Secession furniture, they
designed their entire house around the furniture motifs. Window grilles
overlooking the estero have vertical floral stems with flowers sized to small
squares, while grilles facing the street display abstract interpretation of
lyres. The upper exterior wall is simply decorated with a band of square
insets. On the tracery of the interior ransom walls are abstract interpretations
of the kiyapo plant.”
The dirty kitchen used to have a
brick oven, the azotea has a mini garden with the kiyapo plant as its
centerpiece. Back in the day, the family could catch fish in the backyard estero
when it was still clean.
I had a grand private tour and Emeng was such an animated tour guide that I should’ve
recorded what he said for fear of missing out on the details. On the night of
my visit, I dreamt of Oriang and she seemed happy. Heritage houses stir my soul
in ways I could not comprehend. But this particular home struck the Katipunera
chord in me, a silent witness to the heroes who lived there - bravery amidst
the mourning, resilience despite the hardships and love of country above all
else.
Bahay Nakpil Bautista is located at A.Bautista Street, Quiapo Manila (corner of Jollibee near the underpass on the street across the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene)
Entrance Fees: P80 adults and college students, P50 highschool, elementary students and seniors
Schedule: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9:30am to 4:30pm
Sources:
Wikipedia
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