I can actually hear your minds buzzing, “Why would I want to visit a creepy cemetery?” Well, Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery is not your ordinary memorial park because it is a historical landmark and the only underground cemetery in the Philippines. If you’re interested in the country’s colonial history, arts, and architecture, you should visit this place.


The first things that will greet you as you come to this site are an arched gate and stone walls adorned by wrought-iron grills. The stonework of this outer wall was meant to look like drapery and it still looks impressive despite its antiquity. From there, you have to walk along a pathway in the middle of a green lawn to reach the chapel.


The church is a chamber with a domed ceiling and walls with intricate patterns. It was where the funeral mass was held before entombment. Nowadays, it isn’t use for regular mass anymore because the structure is already delicate, but during Lenten season and the Feast of Christ the King, flocks of people attend Catholic masses. Senakulo or staged presentation of Christ’s last days is also held here every Holy Week.


The underground cemetery was built 15 feet beneath the church. Fr. Vicente Velloc, the parish priest who designed the façade of the church in the 1800s, saw the prospect of building an underground graveyard because of the place’s sloping terrain. From the chapel, stone steps and an archway lead to the crypt.


The walls and ceilings were renovated a few times but the original structure and design have been retained. You can see a lot of Spanish inscriptions on the walls which are now washed-out but still somehow readable. One special inscription was translated by the Nagcarlan Historical Committee and it says:

“Go forth, Mortal man, full of life

Today you visit happily this shelter,

But after you have gone out,

Remember, you have a resting place here,

Prepared for you.”

Thirty-six niches were arranged into the four walls of the crypt. People buried here belonged to the elite and privileged Catholic families of the town. The oldest tomb was dated 1886 while the last interment happened in 1982, four years after its declaration as a national historical landmark. There are also niches above the ground, which are 240 in total and can be seen at the long wall of the church.


The underground cemetery is considered as a historical landmark because of the important role it played during the various colonization periods in the Philippines. First, it was used by Filipino revolutionaries or the Katipuneros as a secret meeting place in 1896. Next, during the Filipino-American War, it was also used by Filipino patriots to make battle plans and strategies. Lastly, Filipino guerrillas of the World War II used this place as a safehouse. There was no famous hero buried in the crypt but you can still feel the bravery and patriotism of the nameless heroes who fought for our country’s freedom.


The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery is a good place to preserve the country’s history and to educate the youth about how we, Filipinos, obtained our independence. Our ancestors gave their lives for our freedom and this is a humble place to appreciate that.