The National Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, also known as Mary, Queen of Peace Shrine, Our Lady of Peace Quasi-Parish and commonly known as the EDSA Shrine, is a small church of the Archdiocese of Manila located at the intersection of Ortigas Avenue and Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Barangay Ugong Norte, Quezon City, Philippines. It is a declared Important Cultural Property by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. 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 in 1986, and Joseph Estrada (the EDSA Revolution of 2001 or EDSA II). The EDSA Shrine is the northernmost tip of the Ortigas Center, a financial and commercial district occupying large tracts of land in Quezon City, Mandaluyong, and Pasig.
History
thumb|left|An excerpt from a [[pastoral letter issued by Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, Archbishop of Cebu and President of the CBCP, on February 13, 1986, days after the snap elections.]]
Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Manila, 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 emerged when Sin and his Auxiliary Bishop and former secretary Gabriel V. Reyes were en route to Camp Aguinaldo to say 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, including Catholic religious sisters, offered flowers to soldiers during the revolution. At an empty lot nearby stood two billboards of advertisements by the Family Rosary Crusade, featuring 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 prelates concluded the success of the revolution was a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Virgin Mary. They also compared the event to the Battle of Lepanto and Battles of La Naval de Manila, which both ended in victories for the Catholic belligerents (i.e., the Venetians and Spaniards in Lepanto against the Muslim Ottoman Empire, and the Spaniards against the Protestant Dutch Republic in Manila).
Cardinal Sin convinced the Ortigas and Gokongwei families 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 state-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.
thumb|Marker commemorating the events of the [[Second EDSA Revolution]]
When the Second EDSA Revolution was successful in deposing President Joseph Estrada in January 2001, Cardinal Sin declared the EDSA Shrine as holy ground, and crediting the Virgin Mary with the victory. A marker was installed on the anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution, recognizing the shrine as a "Holy Ground".
On February 25, 2024, at Mass for the 38th anniversary of the People Power Revolution, Pablo Virgilio David, Bishop of Kalookan and President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said EDSA Shrine was not only for the Archdiocese of Manila but for the entire country. On January 25, 2025, the CBCP made the church a National Shrine, along with the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy in Novaliches and San Mateo Church in Rizal.
Dedication
thumb|left|Church altar in 2016
Our Lady of Peace, Mother of Peace, Queen of Peace or Our Lady Queen of Peace is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Catholic Church. She is represented in art holding a dove and an olive branch – both traditional symbols of peace. The patronal image for this particular shrine is unique, as its design follows that of the statue atop the shrine roof. Mary, crowned and clad in golden robes, has her arms outstretched and her Immaculate Heart exposed, while two or three white doves rest at her hands and feet.
Her official memorial in the General Roman Calendar is on July 9 in the universal Church except for Hawaii and some churches in the United States, where it is kept on January 24.
Architecture and design
thumb|"People's Basilica"; The initial unused proposal of Francisco Mañosa for the EDSA Shrine
Francisco Mañosa was responsible for the architectural and structural design of the EDSA Shrine.
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The sculpture of the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of EDSA, Queen of Peace, is a prominent feature of the church. The committee behind the construction of the EDSA Shrine commissioned sculptor Virginia Ty-Navarro after initially considering National Artist for Sculpture Napoleón Abueva, who was recovering from a stroke at the time. Manny Casal was the second choice, and he had proposed a marble sculpture of the Virgin Mary with open arms comforting people of various backgrounds: laity, clergy, children, and soldiers. Casal intended the sculpting to be done on-site. While not selected to create the final image, Abueva and Casal nonetheless contributed other works within shrine grounds.