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| Sinking Bell Tower at night... |
The Sinking Bell Tower of Laoag City in the province of Ilocos Norte is one of the first things you may spot upon entering the city proper. It’s a massive 45-meter bell tower said to be one of the tallest bell towers in the Philippines and was built by the Augustinians in 1612.
The tower has earned its “sinking” reputation because it is so heavy and it was build on sandy foundations that it has consistently sunk into the ground. Stories mention that a person on horseback could enter the tower with ease back when it was built. Now, a person of normal height has to bend down just to enter the vaulted entrance. Despite its sinking state (supposedly at a rate of an inch a year), the bell tower still continues its centuries-old purpose of ringing the bell to call Catholic brethren to mass. (I wonder if the stated 45-meter height was the original height or the current height.)
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