The 300th anniversary of the reconstruction of the Cagsawa Church is being commemorated in the Month-long Cagsawa Festival in Daraga, Albay.

The celebration coincides with the 210th year since the church got buried under rocks and ashes during the catastrophic eruption of the Mayon Volcano in 1814.

This year also marks the 437th anniversary of the introduction of Catholicism to the Bicol region.

A symposium was organized to kick off the festival, featuring stories from a seasoned photographer and a Bicolano historian.

Ping Peralta, a photographer, mentioned how the 1814 eruption was narrated and romanticized in various history books.

“After kan eruption kan 1814, siyempre nagdurulagan su tao and na- romanticized ngane su estorya baga su mga libro specially su mga history books na dakol an nagtarago na tao sa laog kan simbahan," he said.

Dr. Danny Gerona, a historian, said that the church stands as a symbol of Albay's resilience.

“Ini po ang nagging simbolo kan turismo kan imahen kan Albay, in terms of resilient na digdi despite the fact na grabe an pigsuprir kan mga tao sa eruptions and yet nag-stay, nag-uswag ang banwaan,” he said.