Cagsawa Ruins: A Memorial for a Tragic Past

Got a chance to visit this site last weekend – it is just below Mayon volcano – and represents a memorial to the lose of over a thousand lives in the eruption in 1814.

“A lone church bell tower rises in the landscape with Mt Mayon dominating the horizon behind it. This scene is famously depicted in many postcards throughout the Philippines. The bell tower is what remains of the Cagsawa town, about a few minutes ride from Legazpi City. When Mt Mayon erupted in 1814 it engulfed the whole town in fiery lava. The people fled to the church but were unable to escape the lava flows. Only the church tower remains from this 19th century town to serve as a memorial for a tragic past”