Bantay, a town next to Vigan, will take you to a beautiful belfry of the same name. Towering over the town, the Bantay Bell Tower is a sight to behold, standing separately over a hilltop next to the equally beautiful St. Augustine Parish Church.
The original structure as it stands today was built by Augustinian Missionaries in 1591, most likely as a part of the parish church nearby. It was made of bricks, rocks, and a mixture of seashells and sugar cane. There are hardly any renovations done to the structure, except for the repairs of the stairs inside the tower.
The Bell tower stands on the tallest point in the town, and was used as a watch tower during the Spanish colonial period. As such, the tower is aptly named since “bantay” is an Ilocano word for both “mountain” and “guard.”
Climbing up the second level of the belfry is no problem, but going up the third level may take a bit more guts. The wooden stairs are new, but the rickety sound. The tall, open window views from both levels are breath-taking; the bell tower provides a good view of the houses and town cemetery below, and the mountains in the horizon.
The bell tower is also popular as a location for the filming of the Panday movies by the late Fernando Poe Jr.
No comments:
Post a Comment