A Glimpse of Old Cagsawa

The ruins of Cagsawa Church in Daraga, Albay never fails to enthrall me even if I've stood under its austere presence for dozens of times already. For 193 years, the ruins remain as a silent reminder of the lethal fury of Bicol's femme fatale, Mayon Volcano. Over a thousand people died there after a deadly lahar swept through the town, a terrible precursor to more recent tragedies.

I have always wondered how the once-flourishing pueblo of Cagsawa looked like. What were the structures built in and around the town? Were there plazas and teeming markets with fresh produce coming in from the seaside pueblos of Legazpi or the wide, arable plains of Ambos Camarines? What was life like in 19th century Cagsawa or Budiao?

With very little recorded information, and virtually no paintings nor photographs to provide a visual clue to what Cagsawa must have been, that town now lives only in our imagination.

As for the church of Cagsawa, I came across a rare photograph of an apparently intact church, with the belfry and part of the main building still standing amidst what looks like a rocky wasteland overgrown with weeds. Of course, this photo couldn't have been taken before the eruption in 1814 because photography was not yet developed as a usable process back then. In fact the oldest photograph in the world dates back only to 1826 or a full twelve years after Cagsawa was buried by lahar.

This remarkable photo provides a glimpse of how Cagsawa church looked like in the 19th century. I think it has a bit of a resemblance to the present church of Camalig, doesn't it? The only distinct difference is the shape of the belfry: Cagsawa has a more pointed top while the one in Camalig is rounder. I'm just wondering what happened to the other parts of the church, particularly the main building. Did it crumble away leaving only the belfry, standing like an old grey tombstone amidst the greenery? Was it torn down by relic hunters?

I can only guess.

For now, we still have Cagsawa's ancient belfry to behold, still standing like a sentinel even as modern catastrophes have dealt hard blows upon our land once in a while. It is a silent reminder of our past and a grim warning of what the future may hold.

To see photos of the present Cagsawa Ruins, click here
Old Cagsawa Photo credit to Jed Llamas, DigitalPhotographer.com.ph
More information at the Albay Tourism Website