Brief History
Legazpi started as a barangay called Sawangan (the present location of Legazpi Port). Its inhabitants were mostly fishermen and farmers. In 1587, Franciscan friars of the Doctrina of Cagsawa began to convert the settlement of Christianity; 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 eruption of Mayon Volcano on February 1, 1814 left a wide swath of destruction on two centuries of progress. It also forced inhabitants of the town to evacuate to Taysan (then known as Makalaya). They finally settled in Taytay (now Bagumbayan) as a result of the decree of the (Gobierno Superior issued on October 1, 1829 prohibiting the founding of another town. In 1818, Sawangan, then already known as the town of Albay was separated from Cagsawa and was made the Capital of the Partido de Ibalon (the old name of Albay Province).
Some of the people, however, remained in the old town and began anew as a barrio. In lieu of their former patron saint, St. Gregory the Great, which bad 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 "Binanwahan" meaning the former site of a town. In their fight for autonomy which took 21 years, they sought the support of the Spaniards living in the town and as a sign of gratitude for their help, they readily accepted the name Legazpi for the town proposed by the Spaniards upon the fulfillment of their efforts to perpetuate the memory of the Adelantado Don Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. A royal decree dated September 22, 1856 officially gave the name of Legazpi to Old Albay, and with the visitas of Lamba, Rawis, and Bigaa made it into an independent town. It was inaugurated...
