Sinking Bell Tower of Laoag
Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

This centuries old 45-meter tall bell tower built by the Augustinian Friars in 1612 is one of the tallest and most massive in the country.

The construction is typical of the earthquake baroque structures found in Ilocos. Built of old brick and stoned faced with limes stucco plaster, the tower rises in four tiers. The base with its massive rounded corners supports the graduated upper tiers noted for its graceful curved buttresses and corner treatments, giving it its early baroque appearance, The tower is crowned by a double dome
topped with a cross.

Access to the top is thru a vaulted tunnel leading to a windiong wooden stairway. At the top are 6 bells of diferent sizes. A big bell on the third tier when rung can be heard in nearby towns.

Tales by old people mention that a person on horseback once could enter its vaulted entrance without stooping. Now a person of ordinary height has to stoop to enter the tower door, because the tower has sunk considerably and evenly, thus its reputaion as “The Sinking Bell Tower of Laoag”.

Crisologo Musuem also known as:
Vigan House, Crisologo House and Memorabilia,
and the Vigan National Museum Branch
It is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Saturday

The museum used to be the residence of Floro “Flor” Crisologo and his family. The Crisologo clan is one of the principal families of Vigan and Flor Crisologo was a congressman who worked towards the ratification of the Tobacco Law and the establishment of the Social Security System. On October 18, 1970, Crisologo was standing in a communion line in the Vigan Cathedral when a lone gunman entered and shot him in the head. The assassin escaped during the panic that ensued and the murder remains unsolved to this day, but it is generally believed to have been politically motivated.

In memory of Crisologo, his family turned his ancestral home into a museum which maintains the statesman’s memorabilia.