Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Church, designated as the Diocesan Shrine of Our

Lady of Guadalupe of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo, is the only Roman
Catholic Church in Pagsanjan, Laguna, Philippines, and the oldest church in the
Philippines under the patronship of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is home to the patroness
of Pagsanjan, Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose image was a gift from Mexico. The
current shrine rector is Monsignor Mario Rafael M. Castillo.
History
A former visita of Lumban, the parish church of Pagsanjan was founded on November
12, 1687, by Franciscan missionary Father Agustin de la Magdalena as its first pastor
(parish priest). The first church was originally made of light materials
like bamboo,nipa and wood in 1688 by natives of Pagsanjan under forced labor. A larger
and more solid church constructed from adobe with a red-tiled roof was built in 1690
with the help of Chinese Miguel Guan Co and chief alguacil alferez Alonzo Garcia to
replace the original church.
Further renovations were conducted from 1847 to 1852 under Father Joaquin de Coria,
who engineered the stone belfry andRomanesque dome. In 1872, the church added
a transept under the direction of Father Serafin Linares and Father Cipriano Bac.
The church was heavily damaged by American and Filipino military bombers on March
15, 1945 during World War II. A replica of the church was constructed over its ruins,
without the original dome, with the help of Manila Pagsanjenos under the leadership of
Engr. German Yia and Dr. Rosendo Llamas. Serious restoration efforts after the war
took place in 1965 under Lipa Archbishop Alejandro Olalia. On April 6, 1969, Bishop
Pedro Bantigue blessed the rebuilt church and consecrated the main altar. Due to the
devotion of the people of Pagsanjan and nearby towns, the Diocese of San
Pablo declared Pagsanjan Church as the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in
2012. Under the term of Monsignor Castillo from 2013 to the present, further
renovations were carried out, including the church patio and construction of the choir loft
and church gate.
Features
The facade of Pagsanjan church is a three-level early Renaissance styled facade with a
semicircular arched main entrance, choir loft window and a three-story bell tower. A side
chapel near the altar houses an image of San Juan Diego, a replica of the tilma of the
Our Lady of Guadalupe and a stone relic from Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City in 1531, the
site of the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The chapel is also a mini-museum
containing liturgical vestments of Pagsanjeo priests.
Images of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Within the church of Pagsanjan, two images of the town patroness, Our Lady of
Guadalupe, can be found. The original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was donated
by Father Agustin when the parish was first established. The image was given to him as
a gift from rich and pious Mexican families; it was installed at the main altar on
December 12, 1688. However, the original image was destroyed during the American
and Filipino military bombings of 1945. In 1958, Mexican Catholics contributed a lifesized image of Our Lady of Guadalupe sculpted by Ramon Barretto of Toluca, which
can be seen in the church today. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe placed on the
main altar was sculpted by Maximo Vicente of Manila.