Bantay Bell Tower

The Saint Augustine Parish Church, also known as the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad de Bantay and Bantay Church, is a Roman Catholic church in Bantay, Ilocos Sur in the Philippines. The church was dedicated to Saint Augustine of Hippo. It houses the venerated image of Our Lady of Charity.Pope Pius XII issued a pontifical decree of coronation titled Quas Tuas Optime on 3 August 1955 towards the venerated image of Our Lady of Charity, being granted to the Archbishop of Nueva Segovia, Santiago Caragnan y Sancho. The decree was signed by the Secretary Deacon Giulio Rossi and notarized by the Grand Chancellor, Girolamo Ricci. The rite of coronation was executed on 12 January 1956 by the Apostolic Nuncio to the country, Cardinal Egidio Vagnozzi and named as “Patroness of Ilocandia”. The old historic belfry of the church known as the Bantay Tower, which served as a watchtower for pirates back in the Spanish colonial era, gave the town its name - bantay.