Tanay Church

Saint Ildefonsus of Toledo Parish Church, commonly known as the Tanay Church, is a Roman Catholic church located in the town of Tanay, Rizal Province in the Philippines. The construction of the present church was begun in 1773 and was completed after ten years in 1783. In 2001, it was declared as a National Cultural Treasure Church by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. It is also among the five Jubilee churches of the Diocese of Antipolo.HistoryThe ecclesiastical history of Rizal province dates back to 1573 when two Franciscan missionaries, Fr. Juan de Plasencia and Fr. Diego de Oropesa began establishing missions in towns and villages along the north coast of Laguna de Bay. One of earliest established is a visita (sub-parish) is Pililla in Morong, Rizal, among them is Monte Tan-ay (now part of the present town of Tanay). In 1583, Pillila separated from Morong and became an independent town and in turn, Monte Tan-ay evolved into a separate town and parish on its own right in 1606. The parish church of Monte Tan-ay was put under the patronage of Saint Ildephonsus of Toledo, Spain, hence, given the same name. In 1606, Father Pedro de Talavera founded the second mission in San Antonio in Pantay and subsequently became the first parish priest of Monte Tan-ay.