| Mount Samat National Shrine | |
|---|---|
| |
.jpg) The shrine in May 2023 | |
.svg)  Location in Luzon .svg) Location in the Philippines | |
| Type | Memorial |
| Location | Pilar, Bataan, Philippines |
| Coordinates | 14°36′20.80″N 120°30′32.17″E / 14.6057778°N 120.5089361°E |
| Area | 73,665 hectares (182,030 acres) |
| Created | 1970 |
| Operated by | Provincial Government of Bataan |
| Open | year round |
| Status | National Shrine April 8, 1967 |
Mount Samat National Shrine (Tagalog pronunciation: [samat]) or Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor) is a historical shrine located near the summit of Mount Samat in the town of Pilar, Province of Bataan, in the Philippines. The memorial shrine complex was built to honor and remember the gallantry of Filipino and American soldiers who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
Consisting of a Colonnade and the large Memorial Cross, the park was commissioned in 1966 by then-President Ferdinand Marcos,[1] for the 25th anniversary of World War II.[2] The white Memorial Cross stands as a remembrance to the soldiers who fought and lost their lives in the Battle of Bataan. The shrine complex also includes a war museum with a wide array of collections from paintings of the Philippine heroes, to armaments used by the Filipino, American and Japanese forces during the battle.
From the colonnade and the cross, there is a panoramic view of Bataan, Corregidor Island and on a clear day, the city of Manila situated about 50 km (31 mi) across Manila Bay.
- ^ "Proclamation No. 25, s. 1966". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
- ^ Yu Jose, Lydia N. (2008). "The Past, Love, Money and Much More: Philippine-Japan Relations Since the End of Second World War", p.23. Ateneo de Manila University.