St. Michael The Archangel Church of Caramoan

Despite the gloomy skies and morning drizzle, we made a quick visit to St. Michael The Archangel Church before leaving Caramoan island on our last day. The historical church, which is one of the century old churches in Camarines Sur, is located just a short walking distance from Rex Tourist Inn where we're staying.

St. Michael Archangel Church in Caramoan, Camarines Sur

This 16th century old church, founded in 1619 by Franciscan missionaries, holds its own unique and endearing charm. From afar you will easily get captivated by the interesting color of its facade. I haven't seen a church that's red and mostly made of bricks so, for a moment, it felt like I was transported back during the Spanish period. It indeed looks very old yet well maintained. We wanted to go inside and take a closer look of its interior, unfortunately, the church was closed. Maybe we came too early.

Here's some additional historical info about St. Michael Parish Church taken from here:

"Most of the people in Caramoan are Roman Catholics. They are proud and honored to have a historic old church in their town, built in the 15th century. The church's history goes as far back as when Franciscan Missionary Fray Francisco dela Cruz y Oropesa dared to penetrate the dense forests of Caramoan Peninsula in 1867. He then founded a Christian settlement in a place called Balwarte. Upon turnover of this settlement to the Sagrada Mitra for administration in 1696, a chapel was built out of indigenous materials like nipa, bamboos and wood. Thereafter, the chapel underwent several repairs/renovations and a permanent structure was finally constructed only after almost 200 years. The building was constructed by slave labor out of adobe, local stones and clay under the supervision of well-known artisans and masons. The same building still stands, having withstood natural calamities like typhoons and earthquakes, and also the ravages of World War II."

Since we could not get inside, we just roamed the vast courtyard in front of the church. You will find some religious monuments such as St. Joseph and everything is just green, serene and relaxing, added to that is the laid-back vibe of the town.

After a short while, we had our quick breakfast and headed back to our inn to check out. We needed to catch the first trip of boat from Guijalo to Sabang Port because we're spending the rest of the day at CWC in Naga before finally heading home.

Read more about my Caramoan series:

• Part 1 - The Journey to Caramoan Island
• Part 2 - Caramoan Island Hopping: The Short Trip
• Part 3 - Caramoan Island Hopping: The Long Trip
• Part 4 - St. Michael Archangel Church of Caramoan
• Part 5 - Quick Side Trip to Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC)

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