Old Church Ruins (Gui-ob Church) - Bonbon, Catarman, Camiguin

When the tour guide told us that our next stop was the Old Catarman Church Ruins, I was like it might be a creepy place. From outside it looked like fortress with the wall covered with moss and surrounded by huge trees. The wall and posts are huge and thick; they show how beautiful and mighty the church building was. As we entered the main building, which was the church, the cool breeze kissed our skin, refreshing. Actually it is not a creepy place maybe at night it is but for me it was a serene place. It is perfect for those who are looking for a nice place for photography, pre-wedding photo shoots or simply nature photography.

I noticed there are floor tiles on the altar where candles were being lighted. Those tiles are not matched with the old ruins. According to the kids selling candles, after the earthquake the locals built a chapel inside the ruins but now it was removed that’s why there are floor tiles on the area of the altar.

Outside the church towards the area where the remnants of the bell tower and the convent are, is a stunning view so green, the breeze smells so fresh, the surroundings is clean. The coral stones are visible on the convent building. We were estimating the measurement of the thickness of the wall more or less it could be more or less 40 inches thick. Beautiful and stunning architectural design, although as we were exploring the place, we thought that for sure our forefathers were forced to work to build this beautiful project of the Spaniards. Erase erase lol that was just part of the history and hope we learn from it.

There is a white lighthouse at the back of the convent building, the only modern structure in the ruins. Odd but well that is needed to guide the ships and the people, wish they could find a place other than the Old Catarman Church Ruins because that lighthouse mismatched the beauty of the Old Ruins.

The church of the Old Catarman town was destroyed by volcanic debris during the eruption and formation of Mt. Vulcan from 1871 to 1875. It is also known as Gui-ob Church, located in Bonbon, Catarman, Camiguin.

We took time to take pictures in every corner, we were all amazed with the beauty of this place, ruins but it represents how strong the people of Camiguin are.

 A brief account Mt. Volcan Eruption

May 13,1871

6:00 PM

Cotta Bato the capital of Camiguin Island was a quiet and attractive town verdant in its natural wonders. Its peaceful shores provided strolling grounds for its inhabitants as they basked under the gracious moonlight.  Suddenly

Tranquility came to a halt as a sub-terranean rumbling sowed undescribable lower hundreds of houses and the churches crumbled into pieces the ground rolled and broke into deep crevices with horrifying earthquake served only as prelude to the destructive climax a cataclysm never witnessed before Mt. Volcano gave out its hardest and most violent outbreak.  

6:20 P.M.

Cotta Bato was a dreadful pile of ruins. The single volcano eruption buried a beautiful town into obscurity.

Hundreds of lives were lost while the survivors sought refuge in the open ground that gave them hope for tomorrow.

Source: Old Catarman Church Ruins