Taguig Church

The Minor Basilica and Archdiocesan Shrine Parish of Saint Anne, commonly known as Santa Ana Church, is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica located in Barangay Santa Ana, Taguig, Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Pasig. The church is situated next to the Taguig River and across Plaza Quezon, where the statue of Manuel L. Quezon was erected during his tenure as President of the Philippines. Saint Anne is the patroness of the church.

In 1571, the Spaniards subjugated mainland Luzon including Taguig through the Legazpi expedition. Between the years 1582 and 1583, Taguig became part of the Encomienda del Tondo and was under the headship of an Alcalde Mayor, Captain Vergara. Taguig was eventually established as a separate town in 1587 and was declared a parish with St. Anne as its chosen patroness. Augustinian friars, Diego Alvarez and his assistant, Diego de Avila, were assigned to begin religious activities in Taguig.

The first concrete church for use of the faithful was built by Hernando Guerrero in 1609; however, the 1645 Luzon earthquake caused it considerable damage. In 1848, Andres Diaz began the construction of a new church complex; this too, unfortunately, was destroyed by the tremor of 1882. To continue administering to the spiritual needs of the faithful, a makeshift church was used until the construction of a permanent one.

Construction of the present church started during the term of Patricio Martin in 1883. He, however, did not see its completion due to his early death. His successor, Guillermo Diaz, continued with the project and saw its eventual completion.

During the early American Period, secular priests of the Archdiocese of Manila succeeded the Augustinian Friars in Taguig. The first of these was Silbino Labao of Tipas. He was followed by Vicente Estacio of Tipas who oversaw the installation of the church's sawali ceiling. Gerardo Maximo completed the rehabilitation of the church. More improvements in the edifice were undertaken by Augurio Juta and Emmanuel Sunga in preparation for the parish's 400th anniversary in 1987.

In 1942, Imperial Japanese invaded the Province of Rizal and established garrisons in the town. The church was remembered as the place where hundreds of male inhabitants were incarcerated for a number of days in August 1943.

On July 25, 1987, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines installed a marker on Saint Anne Parish Church for its historical value and patriotic endeavors to dramatize the need to focus to the national consciousness the history of the country from the Filipino viewpoint and to evoke pride in the national heritage and identity. The church was also declared and recognized by the government as a cultural property based on the official list provided by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, National Historical Commission of the Philippines and the National Museum of the Philippines.

On July 26, 2022, the Feast Day of St. Anne and Joachim, the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments formally designated the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne as a minor basilica; the first within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Pasig.