Catholic Church Bell Tower

“A signpost of the center of faith in Garapan”

N15 ̊12’10.397” E145 ̊43’5.49

In the early 1930s, a Spanish Jesuit oversaw the construction of a concrete bell tower right next to the Church of St. Carmen in Garapan. This bell tower replaced the wooden structure that was built in the same place, but it is characteristic of German Romanesque architecture. The Church of St. Carmen, a large stone building completed in 1893, has continued to play a central role in the religious life of the locals in Garapan since the Spanish era. However, it was destroyed in the Battle of Saipan in World War II. This bell tower is the only architectural remnant from the prewar church. In the late 1970s, the new Christ Rai Catholic church was built on the grounds of the prewar church. This bell tower, which is no longer in use, serves as a signpost of the Catholic tradition of the island.