The island’s name comes from “bantay” which in Visayan means to watch, or taken as known “watchman or guard.  The name seems appropriate considering that this small island had more than 10 fortifications: two being fortified settlements and the rest watchtowers.  But the island’s name preceded the construction of these coral and mortar defense structures.  The island was probably named for its strategic position northwest of Cebu.  It stood on the northern end of Tañon Strait, and was a convenient stepping-stone to the islands of Negros, Masbate and Leyte.  From Leyte, one can easily travel north to Luzon.  Thus, Bantayan stood at the crossroads between the Visayas and Luzon, hence had to be gatekeeper of this route.

Bantayan

The town after which the whole island is named was established house of the Augustinian order on 11 June 1580 under the advocacy of Our Lady of the Assumption; it is one of the older Augustinian houses in Cebu, antedating San Nicolas by three years (1584).  Because the Cebu diocese was not established until 1595, Bantayan was ecclesiastically administered by the diocese of Manila until 1603, when Fray Pedro Agurto, an Augustinian who had been appointed bishop of Cebu (erected diocese 1595)  erected, transferred administration of the island to the diocesan clergy.  Presently, the patron of Bantayan is San Pedro Apostol, and it was probably during this change of administration that a change in patron occurred.

For a while, administration of the island returned to the Augustinians who used the island for training new members in the native language, hence, they built a large church and convento.

During the governorship of Jose Basco y Vargas, to promote his program of fomenting agriculture in the Philippines, a road was built connecting Bantayan with Madridejos and Sta. Fe.

Heritage Site:  The present church is the third to be built and is the work of Fr. Doroteo Andrada del Rosario.  Construction took two decades commencing in 1839 and culminating in 1863.  The church still stands and impresses because of the height of its facade.  Redondo (1886) describes the church as having walls three meters thick, dimensions 72 yards long, 17 wide, walls 11 high, and the façade at its tallest 21 yards.

During the Holy Week, the church is the focus of the Good Friday procession when antique statues or pasos are brought to the church.  Bantayan has the unusual tradition of feasting on lechon, while the rest of the Christian world fast on this day and abstains from eating meat.