The Quezon Memorial Circle (QMC) was declared by the National Museum as one of the country’s National Cultural Treasures, the city government announced on Monday, Dec.27.
The National Cultural Treasure citation is the highest government distinction that can be conferred on a cultural property.
Mayor Joy Belmonte expressed gratitude for the distinction.
"Maraming salamat sa National Museum of the Philippines sa pangunguna ni Director-General Jeremy Barnes. Malaking karangalan ang natatanging pagkilala na ito na sumasalamin din sa makulay na kasaysayan at kultura ng Lungsod Quezon," Belmonte said.
Republic Act 10066, the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, defines a National Cultural Treasure as "a unique cultural property found locally, possessing outstanding historical, cultural, artistic and/or scientific value which is highly significant and important to the country and nation.”
Quezon Memorial, designed by Arch. Federico Ilustre of the Bureau of Public Works (now Department of Public Works and Highways), is an equilateral triangular shrine dedicated to the late President Manuel Luis M. Quezon. It houses a museum at its base and serves as the mausoleum of the former President and his wife, Aurora.
Through Museum Declaration No. 29-2020, the memorial is formally confirmed as one of the nation's cultural treasures.
The shrine, which is considered the most significant landmark of Quezon City, has three 66-meter pylons (66 was former President Quezon's age on his death) which represent the three major islands of the Philippines -- Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Italian artist Francesco Riccardo Monti's sculptures, the Art Deco statues of three angels holding Sampaguita funerary wreaths, are also placed above the pylon.
The Quezon Memorial is the second National Cultural Treasure located in Quezon City.
In 2012, during the enthronement rites of the image of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, La Naval de Manila, Sto. Domingo Church in Sta. Mesa Heights was declared as a National Cultural Treasure.