Welcome to the cemetery of Placido Penitente!

The libingan ng mga pari in Tanauan, Batangas is a beautiful, untouched cemetery
set in an equally beautiful, untouched setting.

To many Filipinos, Tanauan is the home of a hero: Apolinario Mabini, known as the Sublime Paralytic. To those who are familiar with Jose Rizal's El Filibusterismo, this Batangas town is also the home of the fictional Placido Penitente, a brilliant but troubled student. 

Heritage cemetery blogger Estan Cabigas of simbahan.net fame tipped us on the existence of a beautiful old grave site in Tanauan. Thus, we discover a virtually unknown (to non-townfolk, that is) cemetery referred to as libingan ng mga pari or "grave site of the priests". 

Located a short distance away from the poblacion, the setting is unbelievably bucolic, in fact, it's a setting that may not have changed much from the time it was built. 

The cemetery is a large enclosure marked by an elaborate two-tiered stone gate. Unless proven otherwise, this could be the most detailed colonial-era cemetery gate in the whole of Batangas. It's even more detailed than that of the more famous Underground Cemetery of Nagcarlan, Laguna! 

Three plaques can be seen on the gate. The first is a quote in Latin, taken from Genesis 3:19: Memento homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris (Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return). The next plaque renders the same quote in classic Tagalog: Taui pacagunitain mo na nangaling ca sa abo ay sa abo rin ang oui mo.

The last plaque is in more modern Tagalog: Mahalaga sa Maykapal ang kamatayan ng banal. This obviously refers to Psalm 116:15: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. 

Inside, one is struck by the sight of a wide, grassy expanse, with above-ground tombs lining only the low perimeter walls. On the highest portion is a modern chapel; no idea if it is built on the foundation of an earlier structure, although some portions utilize old adobe blocks. 

For all its rustic charm, the cemetery gate needs dedicated conservation work. Parts of the wall have eroded, while other portions are in a state of worrisome decay. But let's hope that it will be done in the right way--and thus make it more worthy of its heritage status.