The 'Queen Isabel II Statue', (in

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

"''Bantayog ni Reyna Isabel II''" or "''Monumento ni Reyna Isabel II''" and in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

"''Monumento a la Reina Isabel II''") is located in front of Puerta Isabel II in

Intramuros, Manila Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Present-day I ...

, Philippines. It is made of

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

and was funded by donations collected from the city in 1854 and 1855.

Ponciano Ponzano Ponciano Ponzano y Gascón (19 January 1813 – 15 September 1877) was a Spanish neoclassical sculptor. A prolific artist, in his day he was highly esteemed. His work is now largely forgotten, although it can still be seen in many public locations. ...

, a Spanish sculptor was commissioned to do the work. It was erected amidst festive ceremonies on 14 July 1860 near Teatro Alfonso XII in Arroceros in what is now Plaza Lawton (now

Liwasang Bonifacio The Liwasang Bonifacio (''Bonifacio Square''), also known by its former name, Plaza Lawton, is a city square and transport hub in front of the Manila Central Post Office in the Ermita district of Manila, Philippines. It lies at the south end of Jo ...

). Political upheavals in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

led to the downfall of the

Queen Isabel II Isabella II ( es, Isabel II; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904), was Queen of Spain from 29 September 1833 until 30 September 1868. Shortly before her birth, the King Ferdinand VII of Spain issued a Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the successio ...

and the rise of the liberal government in 1868. One of its officials,

Carlos María de la Torre Carlos María Javier de la Torre y Nieto (15 November 1873, Quito, Ecuador – 31 July 1968, Quito, Ecuador) was an Ecuadorian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Archbishop of Quito, he was elevated to the cardinalate in 1953 by Pope ...

, was appointed

governor-general of the Philippines The Governor-General of the Philippines (Spanish: ''Gobernador y Capitán General de Filipinas''; Filipino: ''Gobernador-Heneral ng Pilipinas/Kapitan Heneral ng Pilipinas''; Japanese: ) was the title of the government executive during the colon ...

. It was not long before he set on removing the remnants of the old regime in Manila. The task of destroying the monument was given to Bartolome Barretto, a government official. A sympathizer of the Spanish crown, he refused to carry out the task. Chinese workers were hired to remove the statue and Barretto hid it in his house before the ''

Ayuntamiento ''Ayuntamiento'' ()In other languages of Spain: * ca, ajuntament (). * gl, concello (). * eu, udaletxea (). is the general term for the town council, or ''cabildo'', of a municipality or, sometimes, as is often the case in Spain and Latin Amer ...

'' reclaimed it. The ''

Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País The ''Sociedades Económicas de Amigos del País'' (Economic Societies of Friends of the Country) were private associations established in various cities throughout Enlightenment Spain, and to a lesser degree in some of Spain's overseas territories ...

'' (Economic Association of Friends of the Country) requested that the statue be made part of their museum collection but de la Torre consigned it to a storeroom in the ''Casas Consistoriales''. The statue was brought out and erected in front of the

Malate Church The Our Lady of Remedies Parish, also known as Malate Church ( es, Iglesia Parroquial de Malate), is a parish church in the district of Malate in the city of Manila, Philippines. This Mexican Baroque-style church is overlooking Plaza Rajah Sulay ...

in 1896. It remained there for over half a century until in 1970 when it was blown down by

Typhoon Yoling Typhoon Patsy, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Yoling, was the twenty-seventh named storm, twelfth typhoon, and seventh super typhoon of the 1970 Pacific typhoon season. On November 14, 1970, a tropical disturbance organized sufficiently to ...

. The monument was transferred to its present site during the visit of the then Prince Juan Carlos of Spain in 1975.

References

{{Intramuros Isabel II Statues in the Philippines Monuments and memorials in Metro Manila Buildings and structures in Intramuros Monuments and memorials to women Bronze sculptures in the Philippines Outdoor sculptures in the Philippines Sculptures of women