Juan de Salcedo after occupying the town settlement of Vigan, pressed further north to Laoag which at that time was also a center of population. Located at "Ermita Hill" at the northern bank of the Padsan River, Laoag was already a flourishing center of trade with the Japanese and Chinese. The Augustinian missionaries established the Laoag parish in 1580 with St. William, the Hermit as its Patron Saint. Laoag eventually beacame the capital of Ilocos Norte.
Ilocos Norte was created by virtue of the Spanish Royal Decree on February 2, 1818. At that time, the province occupied the coastal plain bordering the China Sea and guarded by the Cordilleras in the northwestern corner of Luzon.
Ilocos Norte has a land area of 3,3990.34 square kilometers consisting of alluvial plains, hills, mountains, coastal and miscellaneous land types.
TOURIST ATTRACTION:
Historical
CAPE BOJEADOR LIGHTHOUSE
Location: 45 kilometers north of Laoag City.
Built in 1892, the lighthouse stands on a promontory in Burgos. It still sends out signals to ships passing by the Cape facing the nothern partion of the China Sea.
Cultural
BALAY TI ILI
Location: Batac. Batac is 471 kilometers north of Manila.
The ancesteral house of the Marcoses in Batac showcases the memorabilia of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
MALACAņANG OF THE NORTH
Location: Paoay, Ilocos Norte
Built as the official residence of then President Marcos in Ilocos Norte, overlooking the legendary Paoay Lake, this imposing structure is now a museum.
PAOAY CHURCH
Location: Paoay
Built of coralll blocks and stucco-plastered bricks, the architechture is a unique combination of Gothic , Baroque and Oriental. Constructure of the Church started in 1704 and completed in 1894.
Religious
STA. MONICA CHURCH Location: 7 kilometers east of Laoag Built facing thr river in Sarrat. This century-old church is of Neo-classical and Baroque architechture.
Man- Made
SINKING BELLTOWER
Location: alomost a hundred meters away from the St. William's Cathedral
The tower has sunk to the ground and leans slightly to the north.
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