Monumento a los Héroes de Baler

The Plaza del Conde del Valle de Súchil, at the entrance to the Almirante Pascual Cervera gardens, in Chamberí, is home to this large sculpture which pays tribute to the Spanish detachment, known as “the last of the Philippines”, which was besieged by Philippine troops in a church in the village of Baler, on the island of Luzon, between July 1898 and June 1899.

 The monument is the work of the sculptor, Salvador Amaya, created from a sketch by the painter, Augusto Ferrer Dalmau. It represents Lieutenant Saturnino Martín Castillo holding a weapon and being vigilant. The bronze piece with a height of three metres stands on a pedestal which bears an inscription with the date of the event, the names of the fifty-four soldiers who resisted the siege and some words in their memory.  In total, it measures six metres and weighs more than a tonne.

The monument, which was fostered by the Museum of the Army Foundation and donated to Madrid City Council, was inaugurated on 13 January 2020, to mark the 120^th anniversary of this historic event.