On November 12, 1687, Pagsanjan became a parish and had its first parish priest, Fray Agustin de la Magdalena. Since Pagsanjan did not have a patron, Fray Agustin installed the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the first church of nipa and bamboo. This simple act by Fray Agustin made Pagsanjan as the oldest parish in the Philippines having the Our Lady of Guadalupe as patroness, uninterrupted for more than 300 years. 

The original image of Our Lady was a casualty on March 15, 1945 in the carpet bombing of American planes. The parishioners had a new image of Our Lady carved by Maximo Vicente which was enthroned on the main altar and was crowned on December 12, 1947 by Lipa Auxiliary Bishop Alfredo Ma. Obviar. On December 12, 2012, the parish church of Pagsanjan, due to numerous letters of favors and miracles granted through the invocation of Mary’s intercession under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Bishop Leo Drona, SDB, elevated the parish church of Pagsanjan to diocesan shrine as it is known today. The image bestowed by the people of Mexico to the Pagsanjeños (enshrined on the mid-section of the church) was honored with the rite of Episcopal Coronation on the same day. The shrine houses a piece of rock from the original appearance site of the Lady of Guadalupe. 

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