Set against Nagcarlan’s hilly terrain, its Underground Cemetery stands as a unique final resting place that has withstood the test of time. The octagonal campo santo is enclosed by stone and brick walls with ornamental tracery work and wrought iron grills. A massive arched gate and brick walkway lead to the chapel that has semi-circular side wings that form the aboveground recessed niches. The chapel interior has a wooden plank ceiling decorated with polychrome colors and curvilinear designs, while the walls are embellished with frescoes. The flooring combines plain red tiles and patterned azulejos.

Located underneath the structure is the crypt, its entrance standing at the right side of the chapel’s main door. The crypt has a vaulted ceiling while two grilled windows, at level with the chapel’s upper grounds, provide light to the otherwise dark interior. A simple altar façade provides an axial point to the 36 niches of the crypt’s four walls.

The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery in Laguna was built in 1845 under the auspices of Franciscan Fr. Vicente Velloc. The town’s elite enjoyed the privilege of burial space in this distinctive cemetery. During the revolution against Spain and the war against the United States, the Underground Cemetery was used as a rendezvous of Filipino revolutionaries. Similarly, the cemetery served as a hideout for guerrillas resisting the Japanese occupation in World War II.

In 1981, the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery was declared a National Historical Landmark.

The Museum of the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery highlights the landmark’s heritage aspect: its material components and characteristics and the conservation techniques used by the national historical commission of the philippines to restore the Cemetery’s chapel and underground crypt.

Virtual Tour https://www.thinglink.com/scene/1398565936356655107?fbclid=IwAR3ShyBk07V8GoYvNwNcT7w2DcS3Ogqj1LaZ7Mc5L1eeMRX_ZJEoEAuGhLY

To arrange a visit to the Museo sa Ilalim ng Lupa ng Nagcarlan, please call: Nagcarlan, Laguna Museum Curator: Sarah Jane N. Estubo Cellular phone number: +639157701007 / (049) 5036570 @nagcarlanundergroundcemetery Email Add: mliln@nhcp.gov.ph Open from Tuesday to Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.