Ruins Cagsawa ruins of the Franciscan Church, built in 1724 and destroyed by the eruption of Mayon volcano in 1814. Today it is one of the most popular tourist attractions of the province of Albay, located near the provincial capital of Legazpi city and turned into a public Park under the jurisdiction of the National Museum of the Philippines. The ruins are considered a symbol of the dangers of life at the foot of a terrible volcano.

To get here from Manila by bus — the trip takes 5 to 6 hours, or by plane — then the trip will take about an hour. Usually after visiting the ruins Cagsawa tourists climb to the summit of Mayon, which is only 11 km away.

The Church in the Baroque style in a small town Cagsawa was built by Franciscan friars in 1724 on the site of an earlier Church destroyed by Dutch pirates in the 17th century. But she managed to survive for very long — in 1814 occurred the strongest in the entire history of the eruption of Mayon volcano, which killed 1,200 people and the town Cagsawa was buried under tons of ash. Hundreds of residents Cagsawa during the eruption was trying to find refuge within the walls of the Church, but also died. From the building of the Church to have survived only the bell tower and some parts of the monastery. For a long time after the eruption continued the facade of the Church, but it was finally destroyed after the earthquake in the mid-20th century.

Today the ruins of the Church are part of the Park "Ruins Cagsawa" and a kind exhibit of the National Museum of the Philippines under the open sky. Here you can see photos of the eruptions of Mayon and some archaeological artifacts.