Nineteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

The Cagsawa Ruins Complex is the focal point of tourist and pilgrim destinations in the province of Albay Philippines. The site was declared by the National Museum of the Philippines as National Cultural Treasure in 2015 as a unique cultural property found locally, possessing outstanding historical, cultural, artistic and/or scientific value, which is significant and important to the country. The town of Cagsawa was established by the early Franciscans when they arrived in Bicol Region in 1578. It was a huge complex and missionary activity center during the Spanish colonial period in Albay. The religious complex was composed of the following: belfry, church, convent, casa tribunal, primary school, store and ware house. When Mount Mayon had erupted violently in 1814, the nearby towns were devastated, destroyed and abandoned including the towns of Cagsawa and Budiao. What remains at this moment in the site are belfry, dilapidated church walls, half submerged passageways of the convent and the two unidentified structures located at the northwest and southeast. This paper shares how the local government units of Daraga, Albay, and the diocese of Legazpi manage and conserve the Cagsawa Ruins Complex as sacred heritage and faith tourism.