Sinking Bell Tower

The bell tower of St William's Cathedral stands about eighty-five metres from the church itself, on Laoag's main street, and it is sinking. Built by Augustinians in the early nineteenth century, it is a massive square brick structure with battered walls, put up on the soft alluvial ground of the Laoag River plain, and its own weight has been pressing it down ever since - the doorway, once high enough to ride a horse through, is now low enough that entering means ducking. It also leans slightly. The rate of settlement is slow and the tower is stable enough to stand, but the visual evidence is unambiguous and it is what everybody comes to look at. The cathedral it belongs to, begun in 1612 and restored to its present form between 1873 and 1880, is the other half of the visit, and Laoag's plaza, market and the Sinking Bell Tower sit within a few minutes of each other in the city centre.

History

The Augustinians founded the parish of Laoag in 1580 with a church of wood and thatch, and the foundations of the present church were laid in 1612. After a fire in 1843 it was restored from 1873 to 1880 under the engineer Antonio de la Camara and Father Santiago Muniz, and it became a cathedral when the Diocese of Laoag was created in 1961 (Wikipedia, Laoag Cathedral).

The main sights

• The sunken doorway - the entrance now at ducking height.
• The lean - the tower's tilt against the street.
• The brick mass - battered walls of the early 1800s.
• St William's Cathedral - the church it serves, nearby.

When to go

November to May for dry weather. Any time of day; the tower is on a busy street so morning is calmer for photographs.

Good to know

The interior is not generally open. It stands on a congested street with traffic and no dedicated viewing area. It is a twenty-minute stop, not an attraction in itself.

Nearby

St William's Cathedral, Laoag's plaza and the Paoay church and dunes are all close.

Key facts