Cagsawa Ruins and Mayon Volcano

Images of Mayon Volcano floods the textbooks and postcards of my elementary days. As I can vividly recall, associated with the famed volcano is a church tower which symbolizes the fiery eruption that engulfed the whole town of Cagsawa.

The Cagsawa Ruins is both a memorial and a symbol for the Bicolano people. It serves as a memorial of the 1814 eruption which is the worst eruption of Mayon Volcano where some 1,200 people who took refuge and sought the sanctuary of the church all died when the church was engulfed by the flowing lava. The remaining belfry serves as a grim reminder of the events that took place and many people come to see the belfry as a reminder of what transpired.

The Ruins is also a symbol of Bicolano's resiliency, that is - they will always strive to rise despite the calamities brought about by the eruption of Mayon Volcano.

Cagsawa Ruins

Mayon Volcano

Belfry and Volcano Stones

Jesus at the Forefront

Beautiful but Dangerous Volcano

The Surviving Belfry

Souvenir Shot ala I*** H******

Cagsawa Ruins Park is located at the outskirts of Daraga, Albay. Daraga is just few minutes jeepney ride from Legaspi City. There are souvenir shops at the entrance of the park which offers native products, handicrafts and T-shirts. There are also restaurants there offering native food and delicacies. But most of all, the Park offers an unhampered view of the majestic Mayon Volcano.