The town of Camalaniugan in the province of Cagayan is home to the oldest bell in the Philippines and the Southeast Asia, forged in 1595, the Maria Sancta, also known as the Bell of Antiquity.
In the early days, the church of Camalaniugan, dedicated to Saint Jacek of Poland, now a beautiful ruins that can be witnessed near the Cagayan River banks, was destroyed by typhoon and earthquake in 1845, because of the threats of the river overflowing, they abandoned the old building and erected the modern San Jacinto de Polonia house of worship just nearby.
For the eerie part, the lore says that a headless priest is said to be guarding and roam the place, other apologue has it that the ruins got treasures entombed when the church disintegrated.
The oldest bell is now housed at the belfry right beside the new church.There are also other antiquated bells placed within, dated 18th and 19th century.
The Maria Sancta has no traces of how it arrived in Camalaniugan, historical records only says that it was exhibited in the International Eucharistic Congress in 1937.
No comments:
Post a Comment