09213jfNational Shrine Ina Poon Bato Apostolic Catholic Church EDSA Veterans Village Project 43 Quezon Cityfvf.jpg Photo by Judgefloro – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Little Known Facts About EDSA Shrine


 

The shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, Our Lady of EDSA, or the EDSA Shrine. It is a small church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila, located at the intersection of Ortigas Avenue and Epifanio de Los Santos Avenue in short EDSA.

The church has a lot of names that are seldom used, it’s also declared important cultural property by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

It was built in 1989 on donated land to come to orate the People Power Revolution. The shrine is the site of two peaceful demonstrations that toppled Presidents Ferdinand, and Joseph Estrada.

The Estrada Shrine is the northernmost tip of the Ortigas Center which is a financial and commercial district occupying large tracts of land.

The church has had a lot of priests like Fray Juan Giron 1881- 1889, Fr. Carlos Inquimboy 1902- 1923, Fr. Artemio Pascual 1943- 1944, and so many more. The church has been led by people who wanted the church to influence the people of Malolos.

1. Its History

09253jfNational Shrine Ina Poon Bato Apostolic Catholic Church EDSA Veterans Village Project 12 Quezon Cityfvf.jpg Photo by Judgefloro – Wikimedia Commons

The construction was proposed by Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, he thought it was an act of thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary to whom devout Catholics attribute the success of the peaceful revolution.

The first EDSA event was compared to the success of the Battle of Lepanto. It was also compared to the Battles of La Naval de Manila which ended in victories for the Catholic belligerents.

2. Rallies Held In The Shrine

Pro- Estrada rally held on April 25- May 1, 2001. The other protest includes the reproductive health bill on August 4, 2012, EDSA Tayo rally against pork barrel on September 7, 2013.

In 2015 Iglesia ni Cristo protests were held at the shrine on November 5, 2017.

3. Architecture and Design 

09213jfNational Shrine Ina Poon Bato Apostolic Catholic Church EDSA Veterans Village Project 31 Quezon Cityfvf.jpg Photo by Judgefloro – Wikimedia Commons

The architectural and structural design of the EDSA shrine was overseen by Francisco Manosa. It was described as the modern take on Filipino architecture and the adaptation of tropical architecture.

Leandro Locsin and William Coscolluela were 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 building is noted for its new vernacular style and its distinguished native architectural forms.

Francisco envisioned a different design from the existing building. He wanted the shrine to come from the concept of Bahay Kubo but on a larger scale. 

The initial design used seven pitched roofs clustered together that framed a statue of the Virgin Mary. 

4. The Statue of Our Lady of EDSA

09253jfNational Shrine Ina Poon Bato Apostolic Catholic Church EDSA Veterans Village Project 37 Quezon Cityfvf.jpg Photo by Judgefloro – Wikimedia Commons

The sculpture of the Virgin Mary is the lady of EDSA. The committee behind the construction of the EDSA shrine commissioned the sculptor Virginia Ty- Navarro for the sculpture.

Manny Casal was the second choice who proposed a marble sculpture of the Virgin Mary to have open arms comforting people of various backgrounds. This was to ensure people that her presence is secure and reassuring.

5. The Virginia Sculptured

09213jfNational Shrine Ina Poon Bato Apostolic Catholic Church EDSA Veterans Village Project 37 Quezon Cityfvf.jpg Photo by Judgefloro – Wikimedia Commons

Virginia sculptured the Virgin Mary in her studio in San Juan. The sculpture was transported to the shrine by helicopter with assistance from the United States embassy.

This was because Virginia did not anticipate that the road to the shrine was too narrow for the sculpture.

6. Dedication of EDSA

Queen of Peace is the title of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Catholic Church. She is represented through art holding a dove and an olive branch both of which are traditional symbols of peace.

The shrine’s design follows that of the state atop the shrine roof. Mary is crowned and clad in golden robes, her arms are outstretched and her immaculate heart is exposed. 

7. Second EDSA Revolution

When the second EDSA revolution was successful in deposing President Joseph Estrada in 2001, Jaime declared the EDSA shrine as a “Holy Ground” which was a credit to the Virgin Mary for the event.

A marker was installed on the anniversary of the 1986 people power revolution which recognized the shrine as a ” Holy Ground”

This meant that the Malolos Congress held its last session on the last week of February. 

8. The Purpose of the Shrine

It was built in 1989 on donated land to commemorate the People Power Revolution. The shrine is the site of two peaceful demonstrations that toppled Presidents Ferdinand Marcos.

The first revolution was known as the People Power Revolution or EDSA I which happened in 1986. The second EDSA Revolution was during the reign of President Joseph Estrada in 2001 which was referred to as EDSA II.

9. It was Declared a Holy Ground

When the Second EDSA Revolution was successful in deposing then-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 a set of sculptures recalling the events of the First and Second People Power Revolutions, the latter of which was held there at the shrine.

10. It consisted of the People’s Plaza

The EDSA Shrine’s design consisted of a promenade, the People’s Plaza, with a statue of the Virgin Mary sculpted by Virginia Ty-Navarro as its focal point, and an underground church that was inspired by the Cathedral of Brasilia.

Mañosa envisioned a different design from the existing building. The architect’s vision for the shrine, which he dubbed the “People’s Basilica” is derived from the concept of the Bahay Kubo but on a larger scale.

The initial design called for the use of seven pitched roofs clustered together which framed a statue of the Virgin Mary.

In addition, one influential member of the committee objected to the design preferring a Spanish colonial design for the EDSA Shrine which caused Mañosa to withdraw from the project. 

However, he was convinced by Cardinal Jaime Sin to remain committed to the project and made the design for the current building.

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