Daraga Church Built with Volcanic Stones from Nearby Mayon Volcano

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Regarded as one of the most visited old churches in the Philippines, the Daraga Church serves as one of the major churches in the province of Albay.

The Church of Daraga, also known as Our Lady of the Gate Parish Church, was established in 1773 by a group of Franciscan Priests. The church was made mostly of volcanic stones and its massive structure with belfry on one side and convent on the other side was built based on a Baroque-Rococo structure with Spanish influence.

The religious people of Cagsawa transferred here after the eruption of Mayon Volcano which has damaged a large portion of the town and left only a few remnants including the Cagsawa Church Ruins.

In 1854, the Daraga Church was then dedicated to the new patron, the Nuestra Señora De La Porteria. The church was then used by the Japanese as their headquarters and was damaged during the second world war in 1945. It was reconstructed in 1971-1973 and they made sure that the unscathed stones still exists and renovated only the damaged areas. Read More:http://www.phtourguide.com/daraga-church-our-lady-of-the-gate-parish-church/

It's More Fun in the Philippines, No.1 for Fun!

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Located in the municipality of Daraga in the province of Albay, Daraga Church is the crowning glory of religious architecture in Albay. Daraga Church is also known as the Our Lady of the Gate Church. It was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum on October 29, 2007.

The church was built by Franciscan missionaries in Daraga which was then a barrio of the older town of Cagsawa. However, after Mayon Volcano’s 1814 eruption which buried majority of the town of Cagsawa, survivors relocated to Daraga. The barrio was then formally organized as a town in 1815. Afterward, the town became the center of trade and commerce in the province of Albay.

Daraga Church is described as having a blend of Renaissance Gothic and Mexican baroque. It’s most famous feature, the facade, as carefully carved from volcanic stones. The facade was intrinsically designed and decorated, as a matter of fact, it has features like the spiral columns with medallions. Each of these columns bears images of four Evangelists. aside from that, you’d see the coat of arms of the Franciscan order and the image of the Our Lady of the Gate. Like the facade, the bell tower is also made from volcanic rocks. Read More: https://nicerioadventures.blogspot.com/2014/07/visita-iglesia-daraga-church.html

DARAGA CHURCH

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The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Porteria (Our Lady of the Gate, more commonly knows as Daraga Church) is an 18th-century baroque structure, overlooking the sea and the majestic Mayon Volcano. The National Historical Institute declared this site a National Cultural Treasure on October 29th, 2007.

Church of Our Lady of the Gate? I’m sure you’re wondering why “the Gate.” You can trace its roots to the 18th century when a Franciscan lay brother, Fray Luis de San Jose, worked as a porter and gardener at a convent in Avila Spain. It’s said that the Virgin Mary saved his life during a flood. He had a drawn image of the Holy Mother and displayed it at the convent’s lobby. Many venerated this image since. Today, the convent’s reception area is called the “Spanish porteria.” The picture is called Nuestra Señora de la Porteria. When the Daraga Church was constructed, the Franciscan friars decided to name it after this image. Read More: https://www.thepoortraveler.net/2010/03/history-and-architecture-of-the-daraga-church-our-lady-of-the-gate-in-albay/