The IRMC is comprised of the historic Old Carcel and Padre Burgos House in the World Heritage City of Vigan and the Magsingal Museum, which was originally a convent of the San Guillermo de Aquitania Church, a National Cultural Treasure (NCT).

The Carcel started as a small town prison, Carcel de Vigan, in 1657. It served as provincial jail of Ilocos Sur from 1818 upon the division of the Provincia de Ylocos into Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, until the completion of its donation by the Provincial Government of Ilocos Sur in 2014.

On permanent exhibition at the Carcel is the NCT “The Basi Revolt by Esteban Villanueva” series of 14 paintings on the 1807 Ilocos peasant revolt, as well as ethnographic and selected botanical specimens consisting the World of Basi exhibition. The upper part of the Carcel’s central section houses memorabilia of the late Elpidio Quirino, who was born in his warden-father’s apartment here in 1890. Also featured are portraits of Quirino and his wife Alicia Syquia, the most outstanding of which are those by National Artists Fernando Amorsolo and Guillermo Tolentino. The wing dedicated for changing exhibitions meanwhile holds renowned photographer Neal M. Oshima’s “Pagkaing Filipino: Images of Regional Cuisine, Dishes, Drinks, and Delicacies and their stories”.

The Burgos House, constructed in 1788, was declared as a historical building because of its association with Fr. Jose Burgos (1837-1872), whose martyrdom alongside two other priests sparked the anti-Spanish colonial resistance. It holds the Abel Iloko Exhibition that celebrates the region’s unique textile craft, as well as furniture representing a past lifestyle.

A fully operational IRMC is envisioned through the Burgos Museum’s approaching restoration, the reopening of the Magsingal Site Museum north of Vigan, and the offering of more educational programs and visitor-led activities consistent with the NMP’s masterplan.

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Feature posted at the NMP FB page on December 22, 2019, after the last editing made by Dr. Labrador:

The NMP Ilocos Regional Museum Complex (IRMC) was established in January 2015 as the Old Carcel Provincial of Ilocos Sur was restored and converted into a museum and added to the facilities administered by the NMP in the Ilocos – the Padre Burgos Museum and the Magsingal Museum. All historic buildings, the Old Carcel and Burgos Museum are situated in the UNESCO World Heritage City of Vigan while the Magsingal Museum was originally a convent of the Church of San Guillermo de Aquitania, a National Cultural Treasure, in the town of Magsingal also in Ilocos Sur.

The Old Carcel started as a small town jail facility, Carcel de Vigan, in 1657, about eight decades after the Spaniards arrived in the Ilocos and 121 years before Vigan was made into the city Ciudad Fernandina by virtue of a Spanish Royal Decree in 1778. It served as provincial jail of Ilocos Sur from 1818 upon the division of the Provincia de Ylocos into Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, until 2014 after it was donated by the Provincial Government of Ilocos Sur to the NMP.

On permanent exhibition at the Old Carcel is the National Cultural Treasure “The Basi Revolt” by Esteban Villanueva, a series of 14 paintings on the Basi Revolt of 1807 as well as ethnographic and selected botanical items consisting of the Cultural World of Basi exhibition. The upper part of the central section of the Carcel also houses memorabilia of the Sixth President of the Philippines, Elpidio Quirino, who was born in his warden-father’s apartment the same section in 1890. Portraits of Quirino and his wife Alicia Jimenez Syquia, the most outstanding of which are those made by the National Artists Fernando Amorsolo and Guillermo Tolentino, are also featured in the gallery. Dedicated to changing exhibitions, the north wing of the Carcel presently holds renowned photographer Neal M. Oshima’s “Pagkaing Filipino: Images of Regional Cuisine, Dishes, Drinks, and Delicacies and their stories”.

The structure known as the Burgos Museum is an ancestral house constructed in 1788, which which was declared as a historical building owing to its association with the martyred priest, Fr. Jose Burgos (1837-1872), whose death along with two other priests sparked the anti-Spanish colonial resistance. It features the Abel Iloko Exhibition that celebrates the unique textile craft of the region, as well as old furniture, representing a past lifestyle.

The Ilocos Regional Museum Complex is envisioned to be fully operational through the Burgos Museum’s restoration in 2020, as well as the reopening of the Magsingal Site Museum about 13 kilometers north of Vigan, and the offering of more educational programs and visitor-led activities that is consistent with the NMP’s masterplan.