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St. Augustine Parish Church or popularly known as the Bantay Church and Belltower is a must see when one is in Vigan. Yes, even though the church is not part of Vigan, as Bantay is in a different town, it has been synonymous to Vigan for it’s the first landmark one can see before entering the City.

The Bell Tower at the top of the Hills.

Bantay church and Belltower is one of the oldest churches of Ilocos Sur. The church was built in 1590 with a baroque and Gothic inspired architecture. This architectural design was influenced by the Europeans eventhough it was built under the Spanish regime and it was also built through forced labor. The church’s patron is “Our Lady of Charity”.

The Bantay belfry is located just a few meters away from the church on top of the hill and it was used as a lookout point for approaching enemies during the war. When one is on the top of the tower, you can see the beauty of the whole town and the surrounding towns from it. The Belfry is really a magnificent structure due to its baroque-gothic style as well as the church.

“St. Augustine Church in Bantay is one of the oldest churches of Ilocos Sur, it was built in 1590 with Fr. Montoya, as the first parish priest. The Augustinian friars named it after St. Augustine, the Patron Saint. The church was damaged during the World War II but was reconstructed in 1950. The restored facade is of neo-gothic design mixed with pseudo-Romanesque materials and elements. Its grandiose design afforded a reminiscent of the old Spanish architecture using indigenous materials, which are of bricks and slime. According to great ancestors, fishermen found the image of Our Lady of Charity placed in a wooden box floating in Bantaoay river and when the news broke, people from other towns and Provinces came to take the image but could not be moved and only people from Bantay were able to carry the miraculous image. It became the sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity on January 12, 1956, when the most Reverend Msgr. Vagnozzi, the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, crowned the miraculous image as the Patroness of Ilocandia. The picturesque bellfry sits on a hilltop (atop the Calvario Hill) overlooking a vivid green vast of pastureland and the mountain view of the Province of Abra. It was used as a watchtower for invading enemy forces during World Wars I and II. Evidently, the Bantay Church and bell tower are the monumental witnesses to various atrocities, uprisings and staged revolts.”

THE SHRINE OF NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA CARIDAD / BANTAY CHURCH
Bantay, Ilocos Sur
Official Website: http://www.ilocossur.com.ph

merging the old and the new….

the church and the bell tower….

we ride a kalesa from vigan to bantay church and belltower