Cagsawa Ruins
{{Short description|Catholic church ruins in Albay, Philippines}}
{{Use Philippine English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name = Cagsawa Ruins
| native_name = Rugba nin Cagsawa
| alternate_name = Kagsawa, Cagsaua
| image = Cagsawa ruins.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Only the church tower and the walls remains the Cagsawa Churches, which was destroyed by the 1814 eruption of Mayon Volcano
| map_type = Philippines Albay#Luzon mainland#Philippines
| map_alt =
| map_size =
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| coordinates = {{coord|13|9|58|N|123|42|4|E|dim:30_region:PH_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| location = Barangay Busay, Daraga, Albay, Bicol Region, Philippines
| region =
| type = Church
| part_of =
| length =
| width =
| area = {{convert|500|m2|abbr=on}}
| height =
| builder = Franciscan order
| material =
| built = 1724
| abandoned = 1814
| epochs =
| cultures =
| occupants =
| event =
| excavations =
| archaeologists =
| condition =
| ownership =
| management = Local government of Daraga and the National Museum of the Philippines
| public_access =
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}}
The Cagsawa Ruins (also spelled as Kagsawa, historically spelled as Cagsaua) are the remnants of a 16th-century Franciscan church, the Cagsawa church. It was originally built in the town of Cagsawa in 1587 but was burned down and destroyed by Dutch pirates in 1636. It was rebuilt in 1724 by Fr. Francisco Blanco but was destroyed again, along with the town of Cagsawa, on February 1, 1814, during the eruption of Mayon Volcano.
The ruins are currently located in Barangay Busay, Cagsawa, in the municipality of Daraga, Albay, Philippines.
It is part of Cagsawa Park, is protected and maintained by the municipal government of Daraga and the National Museum of the Philippines, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the area. The Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin, one of the world's top travel trade shows based in Berlin, has even recognized the site as one of the places to visit in Asia.{{cite web|title=ITB Berlin|url=http://www.itb-berlin.de/en/AboutITBBerlin/ITBAtAGlance/|publisher=Messe Berlin|accessdate=May 3, 2014}} A preliminary excavation of the Cagsawa ruins by the Bulacan State University, show that the Spanish incorporated Mesoamerican influences in constructing the complex.[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324041535_Preliminary_Results_Of_Archaeological_Investigation_In_Cagsawa_Ruins_In_Albay_Philippines_Sacred_Spaces_Archaeology Preliminary Results of Archaeological Investigation in Cagsawa Ruins in Albay, Philippines: Sacred Spaces Archaeology] By: Angel Sarmiento Recto, Reynaldo Ramos Avellana, Evangelina Ramos Recto (Page 13)
Location
The Cagsawa ruins are located {{convert|2.2|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the town of Daraga and are approximately {{convert|8|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the city of Legazpi.{{cite web
|author=Henrylito D. Tacio
|url=http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/304410/legaspi-home-of-natural-wonders
|title=Legaspi: Home of Natural Wonders
|date=February 15, 2011
|work=Manila Bulletin
|accessdate=April 7, 2011
|author1 =Chris Rowthorn
|author2 =Greg Bloom
|author3 =Michael Grosberg
|author4 =Ryan Ver Berkmoes
|title =Lonely Planet Philippines
|publisher =Lonely Planet; 9th Edition
|year =2006
|url =https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781741042894
|isbn =978-1-74104-289-4
|url-access =registration
}} They are also {{convert|3.3|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the Legazpi Airport and a 55-minute flight from Manila.{{cite web
|url=http://www.philippinesinsider.com/luzon/cagsawa-ruins-a-legacy-to-the-bicolanos/
|title=Cagsawa Ruins – A Legacy to the Bicolanos
|publisher=Philippines Insider
|accessdate=April 7, 2011
}} By bus, the location is 12 to 14 hours away from Manila.
It is considered symbolic of the dangers of living in close proximity with Mt. Mayon, as it is situated roughly 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) away from the volcano.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8427922.stm|title=Mount Mayon: a tale of love and destruction|author=England, Vaudine|work=BBC News|date=December 24, 2009|accessdate=December 25, 2009}}
History
File:Church of Cagsaua PHC historical marker.jpg historical marker]]
The baroque church of Cagsawa was originally built in 1587 in the small town of Cagsawa (spelled as Cagsaua during the Hispanic era in the Philippines). The church, however, was burned down by Dutch pirates on July 25, 1636.{{cite book|author=National Historical Institute|title=Historical Markers: Region V-XII|date=1994|publisher=National Historical Institute|location=Ermita, Manila|isbn=971-538-069-7|page=16|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M-RuAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=March 3, 2020}} In 1724, the church was rebuilt by Franciscan friars under Father Francisco Blanco.{{cite web|url=http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru5/overview/albay/attractions.html|title=Overview of the Region: Province of Albay, Where To Go And What To See|publisher=Department of Tourism, National Statistical Coordination Committee – Regional Division V, Republic of the Philippines|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921155807/http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru5/overview/albay/attractions.html|archive-date=September 21, 2016|url-status=dead}}
{{See also|Mayon Volcano#Recorded eruptions}}
On February 1, 1814, the strongest eruption recorded to date of the Mayon volcano buried the town of Cagsawa and its surrounding areas under several hundred million cubic meters of tephra and lahar,{{cite web|url=http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0703-03=|title=Mayon|publisher=Global Volcanism Program, Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution|accessdate=April 7, 2011}} killing an estimated 2,000 people. Hundreds of inhabitants of the town of Cagsawa purportedly sought refuge in the church, but were also killed by pyroclastic flows and lahar.{{cite web|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/379638/scitech/science/i-m-ready-asks-what-kinds-of-volcanic-eruption-should-we-worry-about|title=What kinds of volcanic eruption should we worry about?|author=CP David|date=September 17, 2014|publisher=GMA News|accessdate=September 25, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://balita.ph/2014/07/03/1814-mayon-volcano-eruption-emits-lesson-on-handling-challenge-of-destruction/|title=1814 Mayon Volcano eruption emits lesson on handling challenge of destruction|author=John Mark Escandor|date=July 3, 2014|publisher=Balita|accessdate=September 25, 2014}} Only the belfry and some parts of the convent survive today,{{cite web|author=Jaymee T. Gamil|url=http://services.inquirer.net/print/print.php?article_id=126015|title=Young tour guides bring depth to Cagsawa experience|publisher=Inquirer|date=March 23, 2008|accessdate=April 7, 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.fabulousphilippines.com/mayon-eruption-1814.html|title=Mt Mayon Volcano Eruption, 1814|publisher=Fabulous Philippines|accessdate=April 7, 2011}} though parts of the crumbling facade were still standing long after the 1814 eruption as attested by photographs. It is believed that the facade of the structure collapsed due to earthquakes that hit the area in the 1950s.{{cite news|last=Jaucian|first=Michael|title=Tourism execs cry SOS for Cagsawa ruins|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/656955/tourism-execs-cry-sos-for-cagsawa-ruins|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|accessdate=January 2, 2015}}
Survivors of the 1814 eruption resettled into the nearby Daraga, which was then a mere barrio of the destroyed town of Cagsawa, and decided to merge the two.{{cite journal
|url=http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3538609
|title=Plaque on church steeple, Cagsawa ruins, Philippines, (1967 picture)
|author=Albert Speer
|journal=Eruption of Mt Lamington, Papua New Guinea, 1951
|year=1967
|publisher=National Library of Australia
|accessdate=April 7, 2011
}} However, the Cagsawa church should not be confused with the intact church of Nuestra Señora de la Porteria (locally known as the Daraga Church), built in 1773 and also located in the municipality of Daraga.{{cite web
|author=Jaymee T. Gamil
|url=http://daragaparish.tripod.com/id6.html
|title=History of Daraga
|publisher=Parish Church of Nuestra Senora de la Portera
|accessdate=April 7, 2011
}}
Cagsawa was also subjected to the Super Typhoon Durian (designated Typhoon Reming by PAGASA) in 2006. The ruins were unharmed even as the typhoon devastated the surrounding countryside with mudslides and lahar that killed at least 1,266 people.{{cite web
|url=http://www.newsbreak.ph/2006/12/20/the-cagsawa-ruins/
|title=The Cagsawa ruins
|date=December 20, 2006
|publisher=NewsBreak: Independent Journalism
|accessdate=April 7, 2011
}}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite journal
|author = Emily B. Bordado
|url = http://bicol.da.gov.ph/News/2006news/4qtr2006/rummaging.html
|title = Rummaging through the ruins of Typhoon Reming
|year = 2006
|publisher = Department of Agriculture RFU 5
|volume = 15
|issue = 4
|journal = UMAsenso
|accessdate =
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110812104427/http://bicol.da.gov.ph/News/2006news/4qtr2006/rummaging.html
|archive-date = August 12, 2011
|url-status = dead
}} The incident is similar to another catastrophe in the same region in 1825, shortly after the 1814 Mayon eruption.
Tourism
File:Cagsawa Ruins, 1928 Mayon Volcano.jpg
The ruins of the Cagsawa church now stands as the site of the Cagsawa Ruins Park, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Albay.{{cite web
|author = Rey M. Nasol
|url = http://positivenewsmedia.com/am2/publish/Tourism_24/Cagsawa_Shrine_to_showcase_Mayon_Volcano_for_New7Wonders_of_the_world.shtml
|title = Cagsawa Shrine to showcase Mayon Volcano for New 7 Wonders of the world
|publisher = Positive News Media
|accessdate = April 7, 2011
}}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} It is also the site of the Cagsawa Branch of the National Museum of the Philippines, also known as the Cagsawa National Museum. The museum was established on land that was donated by the municipality of Daraga to the National Museum on January 26, 1981.[6]
It was formally inaugurated on October 30, 1992, and is the third largest regional branch of the National Museum. It houses a collection of photographs of the volcanic eruptions of Mount Mayon as well as various geological and archeological exhibits.{{cite web|url=http://philmuseum.ueuo.com/nm_museum/nmbranch/cagsawa.html|title=Cagsawa Branch Museum|publisher=National Museum of the Philippines|accessdate=April 7, 2011}}
In addition, Cagsawa also provides all-terrain-vehicle (ATV) tours which allow tourists to trail down the lava front in Barangay Mabinit.{{cite news|last=Amo|first=Celso|title=Albay welcomes Chinese tourists|url=http://www.philstar.com/good-news/2014/02/03/1285880/albay-welcomes-chinese-tourists|accessdate=May 3, 2014|work=The Philippine Star|date=February 3, 2014}}
=Cagsawa Festival=
The Cagsawa Festival is the latest addition to the celebrated festivals of Albay province, and has recently joined the ranks of the province's major festivals. It was launched in 2012 by the province and the municipal government of Daraga. The festival showcases various activities and entertainment such as outdoor and sport events, culinary activities, and cultural presentations of dances and plays.{{cite news|last=Tribune|title=Cagsawa Festival 'Dos Siglos' to recall 1814 Mayon eruption|url=http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/cagsawa-festival-dos-siglos-to-recall-1814-mayon-eruption|accessdate=May 3, 2014|work=The Daily Tribune|date=January 19, 2014}}
In line with this, the Pintura Cagsawa was also introduced, which provides venue for artists to showcase their works through body painting. It is solely on this festival in the province that body art is explored and showcased.{{cite news|last=Magtoto|first=Raymond|title=Depicting Cagsawa through body art|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/369497/depicting-cagsawa-through-body-art|accessdate=May 3, 2014|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=March 6, 2014}}
On February 1, 2014, the province of Albay commemorated the 200th anniversary of the 1814 eruption by holding the Cagsawa Festival, “Cagsawa Dos Siglos”, as tribute to the strength and resiliency of the people in Albay, and also as a reminder of the dangers of living near an active volcano and their commitment to disaster risk reduction.{{cite news|last=Barcia|first=Rhaydz|title=Worst Mayon eruption remembered|url=http://www.manilatimes.net/worst-mayon-eruption-remembered/72453/|accessdate=May 3, 2014|date=February 1, 2014}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline}}
- [http://philmuseum.ueuo.com/nm_museum/nmbranch/cagsawa.html Cagsawa National Museum Official Site]
{{Philippine Registry of Cultural Property}}
Category:Buildings and structures in Albay
Category:Church ruins in the Philippines
Category:Roman Catholic churches in Albay