Rizal Memorial Institute LibraryRizal Memorial Institute Library is a Registered Property, City of Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte located at Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte, Region IX.
The RMI Library is of bahay-na-bato (stone and tile) design. It is rectangular in plan. The ground floor is made of stone blocks plastered with cement. The 2nd floor is made of wood with Capiz shells for window panes. The large wooden staircase leading to the 2nd floor is made of a variety of Philippine hardwood. It has retained its ancient wooden floors which are made of molave.
Before it became the Rizal Memorial Institute in 1946, the old RMI Library used to be a convent of the Jesuits who ministered the Commandancia of Dapitan and the entire Northern Mindanao.
During his exile in Dapitan, the national hero was made to choose where he would like to stay, either in the residence of Gov. Ricardo Carnicero or the convent but he opted for the former because as a condition for him to live in the convent he had to retract from his “sins” and from masonry.
The building has important aesthetics, social, urban and technical value. The building affords a rare opportunity of revealing the social conditions and lifestyles of the missionaries of Dapitan.