Explore the History of this artwork.
Cardinal-Archbishop Jaime Sin proposed the construction of a commemorative shrine two days after the Marcos family went into exile following the People Power Revolution of February 1986 which saw the deposing of President Ferdinand Marcos, the end of his authoritarian regime and the installation of Corazon Aquino as his successor. Sin made the proposal as an act of thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary to whom devout Catholics attribute the success of the peaceful revolution.The concept for a commemorative shrine developed when Sin and Bishop Gabriel Reyes were en route to Camp Aguinaldo to preside a Thanksgiving Mass. At a corner of Epifanio de los Santos and Ortigas Avenues, Reyes pointed out to Sin the site where a group of protesters, which included Catholic religious sisters, offered flowers to soldiers during the revolution. At an empty lot nearby stood two billboards that featured advertisements by the Family Rosary Crusade. The billboards showed the image of the Virgin Mary along with the slogans "The family that prays together stays together" and "A world at prayer is a world at peace". The two clergymen concluded that the success of the revolution was a miracle that could be attributed to the intercession of the Virgin Mary. They compared the EDSA event to the success of the Battle of Lepanto and Battles of La Naval de Manila which also both ended in victories for the Catholic belligerents (i.e., the Venetians and Spaniards in Lepanto against the Muslim Ottomans and the Spaniards against the Protestant Dutch forces in Manila).Cardinal Sin convinced the Ortigas and Gokongwei family to donate the corner lot where the EDSA Shrine now stands today The shrine was initially planned to be built inside Camp Crame, but plans were scrapped because churches built on government-owned property had to be ecumenical in nature.EDSA Shrine was then constructed with Francisco Mañosa as architect. Leandro Locsin and William Coscolluela was also involved with the preparatory work of the building. The construction was almost finished by November 1989 and the shrine was set to be inaugurated by December 8, 1989, the date of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. However such plans were interrupted by a coup attempt which began on November 29, 1989 by the Reform the Armed Forces Movement against President Corazon Aquino.
The coup attempt ended on December 7, 1989, and the inauguration went as planned which was never postponed by Cardinal Sin. The church was consecrated on December 15, 1989, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary on the same date. Socrates Villegas, then a priest, was installed as the church's first rector.When the Second EDSA Revolution was successful in deposing President Joseph Estrada in January 2001, Sin declared the EDSA Shrine as a "Holy Ground", crediting the Virgin Mary to the event. A marker was installed on the anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution recognizing the shrine as a "Holy Ground". At the facade is set of sculptures recalling the events of the First and Second People Power Revolutions, the latter which was held there at the shrine.
Other rallies and demonstrations held in the shrine were: Pro-Estrada rally (April 25 – May 1, 2001), protests against Reproductive Health Bill (August 4, 2012), EDSA Tayo rally against pork barrel (September 7, 2013), 2015 Iglesia ni Cristo protests (August 27–31, 2015) and Lord, Heal Our Land con-celebrated mass (November 5, 2017).
In 2019, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts declared the church as an Important Cultural Property.
a coup attempt Ortigas Avenue Battles of La Naval de Manila Camp Crame 2015 Iglesia ni Cristo protests Second EDSA Revolution Virgin Mary Manila Francisco Mañosa Archbishop Battle of Lepanto Property Socrates Villegas Joseph Estrada Camp Aguinaldo Marcos family Gabriel Reyes Family Rosary Crusade Cardinal-Archbishop Shrine Pro-Estrada rally Ferdinand Marcos peace Feast of the Immaculate Conception Leandro Locsin Jaime Sin Corazon Aquino advertisements church Epifanio de los Santos Reform the Armed Forces Movement National Commission for Culture and the Arts EDSA ecumenical Ottomans pork barrel People Power Revolution