Iglesia de Santa Ana: A Very Popular Church in Sabaneta

Iglesia de Santa Ana is a notable and historic Roman Catholic church located in Sabaneta, which is worth seeing. The church is particularly popular on Tuesday each week when thousands of devotees from across the Medellín metro area flock to this church.

Iglesia de Santa Ana is located next to Parque Sabaneta, which is one of the most popular parks in the Medellín metro area.

Also, this church is a hidden gem that isn’t visited by many foreign tourists, as it isn’t in any of 10 English language Colombia travel guidebooks that I have. Note the above photo is the main nave in Iglesia de Santa Ana.

In addition, we included Iglesia de Santa Ana in Sabaneta in our list of the top 14 churches in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley.

The facade of Iglesia de Santa Ana in Sabaneta

History of Igelsia de Santa Ana 

The construction of Iglesia de Santa Ana reportedly started on August 27, 1896 on land of Luis María Montoya Restrepo. This Roman Catholic church was completed in 1930 by Ramón Molina. And in 1962, the church was damaged in an earthquake and the church had to be repaired.

On September 10, 1968, on a Tuesday at 4:00 pm., Father Arcila was celebrating mass when some parishioners reportedly saw the appearance of the Virgin.

Due to this occurrence, on Tuesdays every week, thousands of devotees from across the Medellín area flock to this church to ask favors. And some favors have reportedly been fulfilled and have been called miracles.

So, Tuesdays are normally the days with the biggest influx of people to this church where a mass is held every hour, from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm. The church is frequently full for many of the mass sessions on Tuesday, with the crowd extending outside the church. And on Tuesday each week, the church, Parque Sabaneta and the nearby restaurants transform into what seems to be a spiritual hive of activity.

Furthermore, Iglesia de Santa Ana was consecrated in 1990 as the Marian Sanctuary of the Archdiocese of Medellín.

Inside Iglesia de Santa Ana

Inside Iglesia de Santa Ana

Inside the church you will find a beautiful interior that is white with some gold and pink trim.

Religious artwork in Iglesia de Santa Ana

There are many pieces of religious artwork to be found throughout this church. There is an image in the church of Santa Ana, which is of Italian origin and was donated by Elvira and Leonor Cano Villegas.

Stained-glass window in the church

Another of the stained-glass windows in Iglesia de Santa Ana

Another of the beautiful stained-glass windows

Another stained-glass window in the church

In addition, the church has many beautiful stained-glass windows.

Confessionals on the right side of the church

Similar to many other churches in the city, Iglesia de Santa Ana has confessionals that are found along the right and left aisles in the church.

Popular Parque Sabaneta in Sabaneta

Parque Sabaneta

Iglesia de Santa Ana is located right next to Parque Sabaneta in Sabaneta. And Parque Sabaneta is arguably the nicest city park/plaza in the Medellín metro area.

The daily life in Sabaneta is typically centered around Parque Sabaneta, which is a one square block plaza that is filled with trees for shade. In addition, it’s surrounded by several small restaurants, bars and shops.

Pizza en Leña – good thin-crust pizza in Sabaneta located near Iglesia de Santa Ana

Also, there are several good restaurants nearby including Pizza en Leña (brick oven cooked thin-crust pizza), El Sombrero (authentic Mexican food – owner is Mexican) and Restaurante El Viejo John (good traditional Colombian food).

Parque Sabaneta definitely comes alive on the weekends with many people and families from around the Medellín metro area visiting the park. Along the streets near the park on the weekends you’ll find many stands selling typical street food and arts and crafts. And there are some rides next to the park for small kids.

Parque Sabaneta is considered by locals to be a convenient place in Sabaneta to meet up with friends. In addition, Parque Sabaneta is considered to be the epicenter of public events in Sabaneta. Outdoor concerts are sometimes held on the street nearby. Finally, there is a Christmas lights display in Parque Sabaneta each year.

How to Get to Iglesia de Santa Ana

Iglesia de Santa Ana is located next to Parque Sabaneta. An easy way to get there is to take the Medellín metro Line A south to the Sabaneta station.

The Sabeneta metro station is only about 10 minutes from the Poblado metro station. And Parque Sabaneta is located about a 10-minute walk east from the Sabaneta station. In addition, there are many people walking on the streets to/from the metro station. So, it’s relatively safe during the day.

Also, there are frequent and inexpensive metro buses that cost only 2,200 pesos, which run from the Sabaneta metro station to and from Parque Sabaneta. Most noteworthy, these buses don’t drop you at the park, they drop you about a block from the park. And the integrated fare including both the metro train and Sabaneta metro bus is only 2,925 pesos.

Furthermore, any taxi driver in Medellín will know where Parque Sabaneta is located. It’s also relatively easy to catch a taxi at Parque Sabaneta.

Address: Carrera 44 # 69 Sur 08, Sabaneta

Phone: +57 4 288 0122

Email: mariaauxiliadorasabaneta@gmail.com

Hours: 6:00 am to 9:00 pm on popular Tuesdays and sometimes shorter hours on other days of the week.

The Beautiful Churches in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley

In the metropolitan Medellín metro area (Aburrá Valley), there are over 300 Roman Catholic churches. Most notably, there is a complete list of all the churches of the Archdiocese of Medellín.

We have looked at a total of 33 beautiful churches in the Medellín metro area and the Aburrá Valley in a series on this website. And 22 of the churches we have looked at in detail are in Medellín:

1. Catedral Basílica Metropolitana – the main church of the Archdiocese of Medellín and the largest church in the city.
2. Iglesia de La Candelaria – the oldest church in Medellín, which is also a National Monument of Colombia.
3. Iglesia San Antonio and Plaza San Antonio – the church with the largest dome in Medellín located next to Plaza San Antonio with four Fernando Botero sculptures.
4. Iglesia Jesús Nazareno – another of the most beautiful churches in Medellín.
5. Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro – a beautiful Gothic-style church in Medellín.
6. Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús – a neo-Gothic-style church located in Barrio Triste in Medellín.
7. Iglesia de San José – a Boroque-style church located in El Centro, Medellín.
8. Iglesia del Señor de las Misericordias – a neo-Gothic-style church located in the Manrique neighborhood of Medellín.
9. Iglesia San José – a Romanesque-style church located next to Parque Poblado in El Poblado.
10. Iglesia de la Veracruz – a colonial church with a history that goes back to 1682, which makes it one of the oldest churches in Medellín.
11. Iglesia de San Ignacio – a beautiful church in El Centro with a Baroque-style exterior and colonial interior.
12. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora – a Roman-style church located next to Parque Belén in Medellín.
13. Iglesia el Calvario – a Romanesque-style church in the Aranjuez comuna in Medellín.
14. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Sufragio – a neo-Romanesque-style church in the Boston barrio in Medellín.
15. Iglesia de San Benito – a neo-Romanesque-style church with a history that traces back to 1678, which make it one of the oldest churches in Medellín.
16. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores – a Neo-Byzantine-style church in the La América comuna in Medellín.
17. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Sagrado Corazón – a beautiful Neo-Gothic-style church in the Buenos Aires comuna in Medellín.
18. Iglesia de Cristo Rey – a beautiful church in the Guayabal comuna of Medellín with many beautiful stained-glass windows.
19. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores – a beautiful Neoclassical-style church in the Robledo comuna of Medellín, which is also a National Monument of Colombia.
20. Iglesia del Cementerio San Pedro – a beautiful church built in 1929 that has some of the most beautiful stained-glass windows found in the churches in Medellín.
21. Iglesia de El Niño Jesús de Praga – a beautiful church in the Villa Hermosa comuna in Medellín.
22. Iglesia San Joaquín – a beautiful church in the Laureles-Estadio comuna in Medellín that is reportedly the second largest church in Medellín.

Also, we have looked at the principal church in each of the other nine municipalities in the Aburrá Valley:

1. Iglesia de Santa Gertrudis – a beautiful church in Envigado located next to Parque Envigado.
2. Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario – a church located in Bello that is arguably the most beautiful church in the Aburrá Valley
3. Iglesia de Santa Ana – a very popular church in Sabaneta located next to Parque Sabaneta.
4. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario – a historic church in Itagüí near Medellín with a history that traces back to 1743.
5. Nuestra Señora Chiquinquirá – a beautiful church in La Estrella with a Neo-Gothic-style.
6. Catedral Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes – a Neoclassical-style church with a history that traces back to 1793 and is located in the Caldas municipality south of Medellín.
7. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción – a Baroque-style church with a history that traces back to 1715 and is located in the Copacabana municipality north of Medellín.
8. Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario – a Neo-Romanesque-style church located in the Girardota municipality northeast of Medellín.
9. Iglesia de San Antonio de Padua – a Neo-Romanesque-style church located in the Barbosa municipality northeast of Medellín.

Also, we looked at two smaller colonial-style churches while looking in detail at two nearby larger churches:

1. Hato Viejo Chapel – a colonial-style church in Bello built between 1772 and 1796. It’s also a National Monument of Colombia. We looked at Hato Viejo Chapel while covering Nuestra Señora del Rosario.
2. Capilla de María Auxiliadora – a colonial-style church in Barbosa built between 1773 and 1776. We looked at Capilla de María Auxiliadora while covering Iglesia de San Antonio de Padua.

In addition, we looked at Las Lajas Sanctuary located in Ipiales, Colombia, which is considered the most beautiful church in Colombia. Also, it’s considered by many to be one of the most beautiful churches in the world.

Iglesia de Santa Ana, photo courtesy of Iglesia de Santa Ana

The Bottom Line: Iglesia de Santa Ana and Parque Sabaneta

Iglesia de Santa Ana isn’t found in any of the 10 English language Colombia travel guidebooks that I have. But it’s worth seeing this popular church along with popular Parque Sabaneta. Furthermore, you could possibly combine seeing Iglesia de Santa Ana and Parque Sabaneta while going for lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants near the park.

Unfortunately, in my experience, most travel guidebooks in English about Colombia are missing many of the best places in the cities and pueblos in Colombia.

Consequently, we have covered the beautiful churches in the Medellín metro area in a comprehensive series on this website. Most noteworthy, we did this since a majority of the beautiful and notable churches in the city are missing from the English-language travel guidebooks about Colombia.

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