BANTAY BELL TOWER AND THE CHURCH
Mistakenly identified by a
number as part of Vigan City, Bantay is a municipality situated northeast of
Vigan, with landmarks quite a walking distance from the city center.
The Bantay Parish, serving
as the sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad, the Queen of Ilocandia, and
the Bell Tower are two of the oldest structures in the province of Ilocos
Sur.
Ten years ago, I was with a
group of friends from the Ayala Young Leaders Foundation when I visited the said
structures. It was rather rugged-looking
and unpaved. The said structures have not
embraced commercialism yet. The path
towards the Bantay Bell Tower was dusty amidst the sweltering heat. But today is totally different.
I have visited the landmarks
of Bantay, Ilocos Sur, twice for this recent familiarization tour. The first, being part of a day itinerary, it
was a breeze to step on the three sights – the church, bell tower and the
garden. The second was more of loitering
with friends, as part of our extended stay in the city.
BANTAY BELL TOWER
The pathway towards the Bell
Tower is now concrete and there is a gate that separates the said structure
from the church. A totally different
scene from what my memory serves me a decade ago.
The clouds were gloomy in this recent visit and fitting for the cinematographic scene of
Panday, the late Fernando Poe Jr.’s movie.
This is what every Filipino’s knowledge of the Bantay Bell Tower is
composed of, a location shoot for the movie Panday. But more than an important part in the heroic
life of a fictional tinsmith, the Bell Tower has seen the atrocities and uprisings
of the Filipino people. As the Bell
Tower stands on a hill, it has served as a watchtower as well for invading
enemy forces during the two World Wars.
On our second visit, we were
so excited to watch the sunset at the Bell Tower and take photos of the
vicinity in a bird’s eye view. We loiter
around, eat at a nearby restaurant and went back to the gate of the Bell Tower
around 5PM. “Closed na po kami.” (We are
already closed) The caretaker so declared.
We can no longer go back the following day and so mission aborted and
unaccomplished. The Bell Tower closes at
5 in the afternoon.
BANTAY CHURCH
Truth be told, the Bantay
Church belfry is more popular than the church itself named as the Saint
Augustine Parish Church. It is one of
the oldest churches in the Ilocos Region.
We were greeted by doves on
the church façade adding aesthetics to the grandeur of the church. Bricks and mud are the raw materials that
make up this Spanish-inspired architecture.
There are benches available
fronting the church which serves as a place to take refuge from the heat of the
sun and to do people-watching as well, though may seem inappropriate as it is a
place for worship.
Within the vicinity of the
church lies a garden and a small chapel, named Chapel by the Ruins. The
chapel is open-air with surrounding saints and a set of gardens, but definitely
does not appear ruined.
Like any other municipality
in the country, a church apart from being the center of religion and at times
commerce, can also be a tourist destination.
And the Bantay Church and the Bell Tower is definitely not an exception
to such.
And so we ended our second
visit to the church and decided to search for a place where we can sit and
drink for the night.
x----------------------x
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1 comments
Nice photos! Ganda talaga ng Bantay Bell Tower.
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