Bantay Church
| Bantay Church | |
|---|---|
| |
Church facade in 2016 | |
Location in Luzon | |
| 17°34′52.3″N 120°23′30″E / 17.581194°N 120.39167°E | |
| Location | Bantay, Ilocos Sur |
| Country | Philippines |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Augustine of Hippo |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Church building |
| Style | Neo-Gothic and pseudo-Romanesque |
| Completed | 1590 |
| Specifications | |
| Bells | 5 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Nueva Segovia |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Marlo Mendoza Peralta |
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The Parish of Saint Augustine of Hippo, also known as the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Charity colloquially known as Bantay Church is a Roman Catholic church in Bantay, Ilocos Sur in the Philippines. Dedicated to Saint Augustine of Hippo, the church is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia. It houses the venerated image of Our Lady of Charity.
Pope Pius XII issued a pontifical decree of coronation titled Quas Tuas Optime on August 3, 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 January 12, 1956, by the Apostolic Nuncio to the country, Cardinal Egidio Vagnozzi and named as "Patroness of Ilocandia".
The old historic bell tower of the church known as the Bantay Tower, which served as a watchtower for pirates during the Spanish colonial era, gave the town its name – bantay (meaning "to guard").