St. Augustine Parish Church
St. Augustine Parish Church, Bantay
BUILT
1590 (Restored in 1950)
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATION/AFFILLIATION
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia; Bantay, Ilocos Sur
INTERESTING FACTS
The church was dedicated to St. Augustine of Hippo.
…is considered to be one of the oldest churches in entire Ilocos Sur.
…was originally made of bamboo and cogon structure and houses the miraculous Image of Our Lady of Charity, until the people of Bantay made a permanent structure.
The belfry sits on a hilltop overlooking a green pasture and the province of Abra. It was used as a watchtower for invading enemy forces during World War II because of its strategic location. The Bantay Church and bell tower are monumental witnesses to various atrocities and uprisings.
History says that builders of the tower feared that it might shatter the church if they rested it beside the church when an earthquake occurs hence the, present location of the tower.
GALLERY
CREDITS
All media by Luke Cabading.
SOURCES
The Poor Traveler Itinerary Blog. (n.d.). Bantay Church and Belfry: Ilocos Sur, Philippines | The Poor Traveler Itinerary Blog. [online] Available at: https://www.thepoortraveler.net/2010/08/bantay-church-and-belfry-in-ilocos-ilocos-road-trip-day-1/#HISTORY_OF_BANTAY_CHURCH_AND_BELFRY [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
iamlovablejelo (n.d.). St. Augustine Parish of Bantay,Ilocos Sur. [online] the wandering jelo. Available at: https://thewanderingjelo.wordpress.com/2016/05/16/st-augustine-parish-of-bantayilocos-sur/ [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
En.wikipedia.org. (n.d.). Bantay Church. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bantay_Church [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
En.wikipedia.org. (n.d.). Bantay. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bantay#Early_history [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
GCatholic. (n.d.). Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia, Philippines. [online] Available at: http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/nseg0.htm [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].