CAMIGUIN 5: Via Cruzes, Sunken Cemetery, Old Church Ruins

We visited three old religious landmarks in Camiguin: the Via Cruzes, the Old Church Ruins and the Sunken Cemetery.


First stop: Via Cruzes, the Old Volcano Slope
Life size statues of the 14 Stations of the Cross [Jesus' passion, death and resurrection] dot the trail to Old Vocano's Peak. 

We didn't reach the peak...I think I would surrender before reaching it, but then, the others were lazier... 


Second Stop: Old Catarman Church Ruins
This is the Ruins of Gui-ob Church in Barangay Bonbon, 16 kms. from Catarman. We see ruins of adobe walls, belfry and convent which remained after the 1871 earthquake and volcano eruption which wiped out Catarman.

As we visit the place, I appreciate the beauty of the ruins, the green grass and tall trees and the airy atmosphere... I couldn't visualize the destruction of the eruption. 


Third Stop: the Sunken Cemetery

A large white cross marks a cemetery swept into the sea by Old Vulcan's eruption in 1871. This is an ideal place to watch the Camiguin sunset over the ocean. It is also frequently visited place for snorkeling and diving. 

An annual fluvial procession is held in honor of the sunken graves of their forefathers and as a thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest and usually done on the month of November.

It sort of has an eerie feel... maybe, because it is associated with ghost stories and suspense movies. But, its presence on the sea is a marvel in itself! I couldn't picture the snorkellers and divers of these wrecks...

This side of Camiguin is so historical and religious and I am happy that this is preserved as a tourist place. It shows the deeper side of Camiguin, other than the beauty of the seas and the beaches.