san rafael church legazpi

The Church of St. Raphael: Port Area Legazpi City  

The St. Raphael Parish Church is located right in the heart of the Legazpi Port District, the city’s main business district. The Legazpi Port District began as a barangay called Sawangan whose inhabitants were mostly fishermen and farmers.  

In 1587, Franciscan friars of the Doctrina of Cagsawa began to

convert the settlement to Christianity and in 1616 they transformed it into a

separate town and parish called Albay. Its first parish priest built a small chapel and established the “Mission de San Gregorio Magno de Sawangan.”

 The progress of two

centuries was razed to the ground in the eruption of Mayon Volcano on February 1, 1814. The people were evacuated to Makalaya (now Taysan) and on the decree of the Gobierno Superior on October 1, 1829, prohibiting the founding of another town they finally settled in Taytay (Bagumbayan).  

In 1818, Sawangan, then already known as the town of Albay, was separated from Cagsawa and was made the capital of Partido de Ibalon (the old name of Albay Province). 

Some of the people, however, remained in the old town and began a new as a barrio. In lieu of their former patron

saint, St. Gregory the Great, which had also been

transferred to Albay, they adopted St. Raphael, the

Archangel and transformed the ermita into a church. They finally regained their old status but never changed the

name of the place as Albay Viejo or Banwang Daan. Even after their autonomy in 1856, they called it

“Binanuahan”, meaning the former site of a town.

The original church was built in 1834 through the generosity of Pedro Romero. This church was extensively damaged in the Second World War and has since been reconstructed to its present form. This church a

unique attraction, the present St. Raphael Church is its altar

table made of a single block of solid hardened lava. The feast day of St. Raphael, the Archangel held every 24th of the month in October

which is also celebrated as the fiesta of Legazpi Port and

coincides with the yearly Ibalong Festival.

The Altar of the church

Saint Raphael Church Organizations

Mother Butter Guild – These are consist of the women responsible for all the activities of the church, maintaining the cleanliness and orderliness of the church like changing of curtains, arranging of the altar etc

CWL – Catholic Women’s League

Catechist - They teaches religious subjects / instructions to public schools within the city.

Saint Raphael Church Organizations

PREX - (Parish Renewal Experience) was conducted every 3rd week of the month.

Families of Nazareth

NEP – New Evangelization Pastoral

Saint Raphael Church Organizations

STA – St. Joseph Association

LMO – (Lay Ministers Organization) They are responsible for conducting communions during mass.

LECOM – Lectors Commentator