Old Volcano (Gui-ob Church Ruins)

The ruins of Gui-ob Church (sometimes called the Old Volcano) stand on the lower slopes of Mount Vulcan Daan — the oldest of Camiguin's seven volcanoes, which erupted in 1871 and buried this entire settlement. The 19th-century Spanish colonial church was overwhelmed by lava and ash; what remains is the stone campanile protruding from the solidified volcanic field, surrounded by rough black rock and sparse vegetation slowly reclaiming the surface.

It is one of the more haunting sites in the Philippines — the combination of colonial religious architecture and volcanic destruction, the tower half-buried and still standing, gives the place an end-of-the-world atmosphere. A short walk from the road leads to the ruins; entry is by a small fee. The site is managed as a heritage monument and is well signed.

things to do sight landmark
A story
The 1871 eruptions that sank the coastal cemetery also buried the town of Gui-ob and its stone church under volcanic ash and lava. The church's campanile (bell tower) is the only part that survived above the new ground level — it now stands in a field of rough volcanic rock, its lower half underground, its bells still intact in the upper story. The effect is surreal: a full-sized belfry emerging from the ground as if the earth is slowly swallowing it.