The St. William's Cathedral church in Laoag City is an Italian Renaissance structure built in the 1700s. Right across the cathedral is the Bantay Bell Tower or what is now referred to as the Sinking Bell Tower .
In the olden days, Spanish friars built the bell towers at a distance from the church for fear that the bell tower would crash into the church during violent earthquakes. The Bantay Bell Tower was no exception.
This 45 meter bell tower is a unique landmark because it has been known to sink at the rate of one inch every year. Old folks say that men on horseback used to ride their horses into the main entrance. Today, you have to stoop to enter the tower. |
