Old Albay District, Legazpi City I Walking Tour 2024

Check out the new commercial establishments can be found featuring the new food chains, hotel, malls, coffee shops and more, as I walk along the streets of Old Albay. Know the latest updates and experience the rush hour vibe of Old Albay district. Enjoy watching. :)


Brief History of Old Albay, Legazpi

St. Gregory the Great Parish or Albay Cathedral is the Episcopal Seat of the Diocese of Legazpi. The church building was designed in 1839 (183 years ago) by Governor Jose Ma. Peñaranda, the first Spanish governor of Albay who was also an architect, engineer and soldier. The said parish is in honor of Saint Gregory the Great (Pope Gregory I, Bishop of Rome), the patron saint of musicians, singers, students and teachers.
Settlement in the area formally established after the 1814 Mayon eruption when the people from the coastal Legazpi Port District (the original pueblo of Albay which became a town in 1616; take note: Albay literally means "by the bay") transferred to the landlocked plains of present-day Old Albay District and founded the Albay Nuevo, a separate independent town from Legazpi during the Spanish and American Times.
To avoid confusion, the original pueblo Albay in the coastal which became the Albay Viejo, adopted the name Legazpi in 1856; and Legazpi parish adopted St. Raphael the Archangel as its patron saint in lieu of St. Gregory the Great which was already transferred to Albay. Basically, Legazpi City is a combination of two old towns of Albay and Legazpi merged in 1892 to became its districts. At present, the boundary between the parishes of Old Albay District and Legazpi Port District is being signified by a marker at Rizal St., in front of Iglesia Ni Cristo.
In Legazpi City, if the Legazpi Port District is the center of trade and commerce, the Old Albay District is the center of religion and government.