Bacarra Bell Tower

The bell tower beside the church of San Andrés at Bacarra was built in the early nineteenth century as a three-tiered brick structure topped by a dome. An earthquake in 1931 shook the dome loose and left it sitting askew on the tower's shoulders - photographs from that period show it balanced at an angle, which gave the tower a decades-long reputation as a curiosity. Further earthquakes, including a severe one in 1983, brought the dome down entirely, and the tower now stands with a flat, ragged top and visible cracking down its brickwork, propped and stabilised rather than restored. It reads as a straightforward record of what earthquakes do to heavy masonry in this part of Luzon, which is also the explanation for the buttresses at Paoay and the detached towers throughout Ilocos. The church next to it is still in use, and Bacarra is a small town a short ride north of Laoag.

What you actually see

• The broken top - the tower left flat after the dome fell.
• The cracked brickwork - visible earthquake damage down the shaft.
• The stabilising works - props and repairs holding it up.
• San Andrés church - the working parish alongside.

When to go

November to May for dry weather. Any time of day; it is a short stop on the road north from Laoag.

Honest expectations

The tower is not open and cannot be climbed - it is structurally compromised. There is no interpretation on site and no facilities. Fifteen minutes covers it.

Nearby

Laoag's Sinking Bell Tower is fifteen minutes south; Paoay and the Ilocos Norte circuit are close.