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The Triumph of Science over Death

19th-century sculpturesClay sculpturesUse mdy dates from November 2023Works by José Rizal
Triumph of Science Rizal sculpture
Triumph of Science Rizal sculpture

The Triumph of Science over Death, also known as Scientia, is a clay sculpture made by José Rizal as a gift to his friend Ferdinand Blumentritt.The statue depicts a young, nude woman with flowing hair, standing on a skull while bearing a torch. The woman symbolizes the ignorance of humankind during the Dark Ages of history, while the torch she bears symbolizes the enlightenment science brings to the world. The woman stands atop a skull, a symbol of death, to signify the victory that humankind aims to achieve by conquering the bane of death through scientific advancement.The original sculpture is now displayed at the Rizal Shrine Museum at Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila. A large replica, made of concrete, stands in front of Fernando Calderón Hall of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine along Pedro Gil St. in Ermita, Manila. Another replica is found outside the old Department of Health research facility in Muntinlupa and now incorporated into the design of the ongoing expansion of Festival Supermall.The motif of the statue is also used by various medical associations in the Philippines as their symbol, the most notable of which is the Philippine College of Surgeons.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article The Triumph of Science over Death (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

The Triumph of Science over Death
Soledad Promenade, Manila

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N 14.594444 ° E 120.969722 °
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Spanish Barracks

Soledad Promenade
1002 Manila (Fifth District)
Philippines
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Triumph of Science Rizal sculpture
Triumph of Science Rizal sculpture
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Plaza de Armas (Manila)
Plaza de Armas (Manila)

The Plaza de Armas is a public square in Intramuros, Manila. The central plaza of Fort Santiago, it is one of three major plazas in Intramuros, the others being the central Plaza de Roma (also called "Plaza de Armas" at one point in its history) outside the fort grounds, and Plaza Moriones (not to be confused with Plaza Moriones in Tondo), a larger plaza outside Fort Santiago which was once a military promenade before it was closed in the 1863 earthquake that devastated Manila. While Plaza Moriones is outside the walls of Fort Santiago, both plazas are often misconstrued for the other.Historical evidence may suggest that the plaza is the site where the wooden palisade of Rajah Sulayman, on top of which Fort Santiago was built, was located, and was deliberately allocated by Miguel López de Legazpi as the smaller of two open squares in Intramuros, the other being the larger Plaza Mayor (today's Plaza de Roma). Military barracks and storehouses surrounded the plaza, the ruins of which stand today.Currently, the plaza is an open green area surrounded by trees. At the western side of the plaza is the Rizal Shrine, erected in honor of José Rizal, who was imprisoned there prior to his execution in 1896, when the building was still being used as military barracks. The Shrine includes a statue of Rizal which was erected at the center of the plaza. To the north is a cross erected in memory of World War II victims who were buried in a mass grave underneath by the Imperial Japanese Army, while the eastern side contains an eighteenth-century building which was converted into the Dulaang Raha Sulayman (Rajah Sulayman Theater), the venue of seasonal performances by the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA).