Iglesia de Santa Ana and Parque Sabaneta

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The facade of Iglesia de Santa Ana in Sabaneta
The facade of Iglesia de Santa Ana in Sabaneta

Iglesia de Santa Ana is another of the notable and historic Roman Catholic churches in the Medellín metro area.

This church is very popular and is visited by the faithful who seek not only the miracles of María Auxiliadora but also those of Father Arcila, who is considered a Saint for the parishioners.

The church faces Parque Sabaneta in the heart of Sabaneta, the city immediately south of Envigado.

The Central Nave Inside Iglesia de Santa Ana
The Central Nave Inside Iglesia de Santa Ana

History of the Church

Construction of the clay and mortar church started in 1896, and it was completed by Ramón Molina in 1930. Since opening, the church has operated as a Roman Catholic church.

In 1962, the church needed repairs as it was damaged due to an earthquake.

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

On Tuesdays since then, thousands of believers have arrived at the church to see the picture of the occurrence and ask for some favors, some of which have reportedly become miracles that have been fulfilled.

As a result, Tuesdays are normally the days with the biggest influx of faithful to the church where a mass is held every hour, from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The front of the right aisle in the church
The front of the right aisle in the church

Inside the Church

The interior of Iglesia de Santa Ana is white with gold and pink trim. The church is beautiful inside with a number of artwork pieces and many stained glass windows.

The church also has confessionals found along the right and left aisles.

Parque Sabaneta
Parque Sabaneta

Parque Sabaneta

Iglesia de Santa Ana is located in Sabaneta on Calle 70S next to Parque Sabaneta. Parque Sabaneta is the central park in Sabaneta. It is arguably the nicest park in the Medellín metro area with a local flavor.

Much of the daily life in Sabaneta is centered around the park, which is a nice one square block-sized plaza filled with trees and surrounded by shops, stalls and restaurants.

In the area immediately surrounding the park are many restaurants and shops of all kinds. Parque Sabaneta also comes alive on the weekends with many locals and visitors from other parts of the city.

Many locals from around the city of Medellín prefer Parque Sabaneta to Parque Lleras in El Poblado, which is seen as catering too much to foreigners.

But you won’t find many foreigners in the park as Parque Sabaneta hasn’t been discovered by many foreigners. In the over 20 times I’ve been to Parque Sabaneta in the past couple of years, I have only heard English being spoken once.

Parque Sabaneta
Parque Sabaneta

How to Get There

The easiest way to get to Iglesia de Santa Ana is to take the Medellín metro south to the Sabaneta station. The church is located a 10-minute walk east from the metro station.

There are also frequent buses that run from the Sabaneta metro station to Parque Sabaneta, where the church is located. The cost is only about 1,700 pesos ($0.70) but the buses drop you about a block from the park.

Or you can ask any taxi driver in Medellín to take you to “Parque Sabaneta,” just about every taxi driver will know where it is.

It is relatively safe to walk from the metro station to Parque Sabaneta as there are many people on the streets during the day, or you can take the short bus ride.

The doors to Iglesia de Santa Ana are open most of the time. It has been open each time I have gone to Parque Sabaneta during the day or early evening. Due to its popularity, the church is sometimes standing room only, with people overflowing into the park outside during some mass sessions.

One of the stained glass windows in Iglesia de Santa Ana
One of the stained glass windows in Iglesia de Santa Ana

Note to Readers

This is the eleventh notable church in Medellín we have looked at in a series on this website looking at the most notable churches in the city.

We previously looked at ten churches:

  1. Iglesia de la Veracruz,
  2. Iglesia Jesús Nazareno,
  3. Catedral Basílica Metropolitana,
  4. Iglesia de La Candelaria,
  5. Iglesia San Jose,
  6. Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús,
  7. Iglesia San Antonio,
  8. Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro,
  9. Iglesia de San Ignacio,
  10. Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario.

The first nine churches we have looked at in Medellín have all been in La Candelaria (El Centro), and all could be seen in a few hours time. Most of the churches in El Centro are located within one to seven blocks of a metro station.

It would be possible to combine a tour of several of the notable churches in La Candelaria (El Centro) along with visits to Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero.

The majority of the notable churches in Medellín are located in El Centro, but we have now turned our focus in this church series to look at some of the most notable churches in other neighborhoods in the city.

We are covering the churches in Medellín in a series on this website as we have found that most of the beautiful churches in the city are unfortunately missing from the travel guidebooks of Colombia.

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1 COMMENT

  1. Thanks for another great church article in this fantastic Medellin church series. It is interesting to find out the history about each of the churches. I agree with you that Parque Sabaneta is probably the nicest park in the Medellín metro area.