BANTAY TOWER AND BANTAY CHURCH (SAINT AUGUSTINE PARISH CHURCH)

Location: Barangay I, Bantay, Ilocos Sur

Updated: November 2019

The pictures below are part of my November 2019 visit:

This "Bantay Belltower" marker was not there during my first visit

Indeed, my second visit was far more better as you see, the place was well-maintained and got even better for panoramic sense.

Climbing up the concrete stairs to the belltower

This belfry nestles on top of Calvario Hill overlooking a lush pastureland and the mountain view of the province of Abra.  This belltower has a historic significance as this was used as a watchtower for invading enemy forces during World Wars 1 and II and invading pirates. Indeed, this helped our heroic Filipinos partly in their fight to protect Bantay town from aggressors.

On top of the belltower

As the belltower is centuries-old, we have been advised to watch for our footsteps. The floor  and the stairs are no longer that stable,  thus, guests were advised to go up one by one.  In fact, by the time of my visit, only two were allowed on top, and other two would only go up as we  completely descended.

The centuries-old bells on top of the belltower

If  these belltowers were not replaced yet during its original installation, they might have been 429 years old already as of November 2019.

This has been installed with roof already during my second visit

After ample time of scaling up the Bantay tower, I rested down in this Virgin Mary where shades of trees protected me from intense heat.

The facade of Saint Augustine Parish Church

Then, I decided not say short prayer inside Sain Augustine Parish Church, where it is considered as one of  the oldest churches of Ilocos Sur being built in 1590 by the Augustinian friars, a congregation formed by St. Augustine.  Its first installed parish priest then was Fr. Juan Bautista de Montoya.

The interior of Saint Augustine Parish Church

Below is the original blog post during my first visit:

The famous Bantay Church in the Municipality of Bantay is actually the Saint Augustine Parish Church which is a part of Ilocos Sur province. This church is also known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity or Nuestra Señora de La Caridad housing the miraculous image of Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Charity who is crowned as the patroness of Ilocandia on January 12, 1956. The church was named after its patron saint, St. Augustine of Hippo.

The historical Bantay Church Belfry

During my visit, I was more stunned with its belfry which is approximately 100 meters away from the church, a belfry-church main structure distance, almost the same with the Saint William Cathedral of Laoag City. Dating back on its history, this church’s belfry known as the Bantay Tower during the Spanish colonial era, has served as a watchtower for invading pirates who usually attack the town. It was established in 1590 for that purpose making it one of the oldest in the Ilocos Region.

Climbing through the concrete stairs of Bantay Bell Tower

Our group found it very inviting to climb the tower and accompanied by our guide, we did it. We encountered no problem till we reached its second level. However, going up to the third level may require guts since even if the wooden stairs are new, there was the rickety sound that we heard and the tall, open windows may trigger vertigo among the faint-hearted. In our group of 15, only three of us, boys dared to make it to highest level. And alas!!!! The bell tower really provided us the best overlooking scenery of the houses and town cemetery below, the underlying hills within the horizon and the mountains on the side of Abra.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Charity and the Bell Tower at the background

In addition, our guide, told us that the church bell tower did not undergo any renovation except for the repair of the stairs inside the tower. Its original building construction materials are still intact consisting of bricks, rocks, and a mixture of seashells and sugar cane where the guide called it as “apog”. Furthermore, the guide also said that the Ilocano word “bantay” means “mountain” and “guard” as the tower was built on the highest point of the town.

Bantay Bell Tower (Left) and the facade of Saint Augustine Parish Church (Right)

It is highly recommended to visit this spot late in the afternoon as photographers can get the best postcard perfect picture since the blue sky can serve as the backdrop of the tower.

The altar of Saint Augustine Parish Church

How far is Bantay from Vigan City? The answer would vary from which route you will choose coming from Vigan. If you had it Vigan City via Quirino Boulevard, it is just 2.4 kilometers for 3 minutes only. If you opt to take Vigan City via Quezon Avenue, then it would be 2.1 kilometers for 4 minutes drive and via Rizal Avenue, the same distance of 2.1 kilometers for 4 minutes drive also.