Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery

The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery is a historic octagonal cemetery and museum in Barangay Bambang, Nagcarlan, Laguna, Philippines. Built in 1845 under Franciscan priest Vicente Velloc, it is the only underground cemetery in the country. The site features a chapel dedicated to Christ Crucified, perimeter walls with 240 niches, and a crypt 15 feet below ground. Declared a National Historical Landmark, it now operates as a museum preserving its Spanish colonial architecture and funerary heritage.

Visitors enter through an arched gateway into an octagonal walled cemetery with a central chapel. The grounds contain above-ground niches set into the perimeter walls and a small museum displaying artifacts and historical information. Beneath the chapel, a narrow staircase of about 15 steps leads to the underground crypt with stone walls and burial niches. The site is compact, quiet, and landscaped, offering a guided historical and architectural experience rather than an active burial ground.