Taal Basilica

Ruins of the old church in San Nicolas

In 1575, three years after the founding of the town of Taal in its old site near the shores of Taal Lake, work began on the construction of its first church by Diego Espinar with Martin of Tours as patron saint. The church was rebuilt in 1642 using stronger materials, but it was destroyed in 1754 along with the town of Taal in the largest recorded eruption of the Taal Volcano. This event led to transfer of the town and the church farther away from the volcano to its present site atop an elevated hill facing Balayan Bay. The ruins of the previous church can still be seen in the present-day town of San Nicolas.

Martín Aguirre donated the land and began the construction of the new church in 1755. It was continued by Gabriel Rodriguez in 1777 and by Jose Victoria in 1782. Ramon del Marco decorated the church, built the convent, and paved the "processional" road with bricks around the atrium of the parochial building.[3] This church was damaged by a strong earthquake on September 16, 1852, centered near the Taal Volcano, though no volcanic eruption was recorded.[4][5]

Aerial view of the church, 1939

Construction of the present church began in 1856 by Marcos Antón with Spanish architect Luciano Oliver, commissioned to design and manage the construction of the new church. Although it was unfinished, it was inaugurated in 1865. The huge church was completed by Agapito Aparicio in 1878.[3]

Nave of the basilica prior to its renovation by Alfredo Madlangbayan

The church was then restored in 1953 in preparation for the canonical coronation of Our Lady of Caysasay. The following year on December 8, 1954, the church was declared as a minor basilica, the third in the country to be given such honor.

The church was again restored in 1972 by the Taal Quadricentennial Council for the 400th anniversary of the town's establishment.[2] By Presidential Decree No. 375 on January 16, 1974, the church was declared a national historical landmark.[6]

The old belfry was later rebuilt in 1990 under the supervision of the National Historical Institute.

In 2011, upon the assignment of Alfredo Madlangbayan, the basilica underwent another renovation as sections the church interior were repainted to match its original trompe l'oeil ceilings.[2] The tower was also modified to imitate the old tower destroyed by the earthquake of 1942, and a new set of carillon bells was later installed. The renovations were completed in November that same year.

On April 4, 2017, the basilica was damaged by a magnitude-5.5 earthquake that struck Tingloy. The basilica was significantly damaged further by twin earthquakes (magnitudes 5.6 and 6.0) that struck the neighboring towns of Mabini and Taysan that occurred four days later on April 8. The newly restored basilica was turned over to the Archdiocese of Lipa in November 2020.[2]