Vigan City in Ilocos Sur is a World Heritage site recognized by UNESCO for its well-preserved Spanish colonial architecture and cultural heritage. One of them is the Bantay Bell Tower and the Church which according to history, was built by the Augustinian Friars in 1591. The tower is strategically located on a hill and it served as a lookout for local people guarding the town to see impending attacks. It's how it got its name "Bantay" an Ilocano term that means "to guard."
Accordingly, the tower was heavily damaged during the Second World War and restoration efforts were made in the 1950s.
During our visit, access to the tower was not possible for safety reasons. We were only able to view it from afar as the gate was closed and no one was allowed to enter its grounds. The structure is dilapidating, and some of the bricks have fallen. From where this shot was taken, we can see that the bell was tied just so it wouldn't fall. Forgive me for the blurry shot though.
After parking our cars, we went around toward the St. Augustine Church for a better view of the tower. We were asked to sign the visitor's logbook and that was it. No fees whatsoever. Although there is a donation box where we dropped ours.
The photo below shows the church facade with plenty of scaffoldings. It was undergoing repairs.
Seen toward the left is a giant Christmas tree and the Nativity Scene. We can already see part of the tower farther behind it.
And so we walked further and there it was, the bell tower some 200 or so meters away. And we observed that weeds have grown on the stairway going up the tower which indicates no one had been allowed to go there for quite a while, probably after the earthquake last year.
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There were people taking photos of themselves so we rested on the concrete benches while waiting. We were glad that the church sheltered us from the scorching sun's heat. These are some random captures during the wait.
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The husband went inside the church for some photos as well. The interior is beautiful and on the right side were large iron bars installed to reinforce the walls.
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While we were waiting, more people arrived so we just took a few shots of the bell tower and decided to leave and roam around.
While going toward the exit, we noticed these silver and wooden Carroza.
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We found a charity store at the backside of the church so we went there to check what we could buy. We were curious to see the Chapel by the Ruins too.
Since I have our pup, I was not able to enter the small shop so I went outside and found a spot to sit and wait while my siblings and niblings took time to buy what they wanted. Funny you'd say but we have forgotten about the Chapel, lol!
A few shots while my Anyongi and I were outside. It was almost midday and the weather was simply awesome.
It was a great day to visit but quite the wrong timing. I am hoping that we get the chance to check the place again and hopefully, by that time, the church repairs will have been finished and there won't be any scaffoldings.
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Anyway, my companions came out from the shop after a while with a small shopping bag containing a few pieces of hand fans, caps, and souvenir shirts. We left the place and proceeded to our next destination which I will be sharing next time.
All photos are my own. 11012024/19:05ph