via The Travel, 15 May 2022: The eruption of Mount Mayon in 1814 destroyed the nearby town of Cagsawa. Today, the remains of the 16th century church can be seen. There is an article in the SPAFA Journal about Cagsawa here.
The Cagsawa Ruins (also spelled Kagsawa) are the remains of a 16th-century Franciscan church that had been built in 1587.
The first Europeans to arrive in the Philippines was the Spanish, but soon there was competition in the region between the Spanish and the Dutch. In 1636 Dutch pirates burned down and destroyed the Spanish town. In time the Spanish would be left with the Philippines (until the Spanish and American War) and the Dutch would have the southern Indonesian islands.
Much later in 1724 the church was rebuilt by Fr. Francisco Blanco but would this time be destroyed by the forces of nature. In 1814 the volcano Mayon erupted and destroyed the church together with the town.
Source: Cagsawa Ruins: The Philippine Town Destroyed By A Volcano
