⛪ Basilica of Our Lady of Charity (El Cobre)
Cuba
About This Sacred Site
The Basilica of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre (Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre) is Cuba's most important Catholic pilgrimage site, located near Santiago de Cuba. The basilica houses a small statue of the Virgin that, according to legend, was found floating on the waters of the Bay of Nipe by three fishermen around 1612. Our Lady of Charity (Cachita) is the patroness of Cuba and is syncretized with Ochún, the Yoruba goddess of love and rivers, in the Afro-Cuban Santería tradition.
Key Facts
- •The statue of the Virgin was reportedly found floating in the Bay of Nipe around 1612
- •Our Lady of Charity is the patroness of Cuba, declared by Pope Benedict XV in 1916
- •Syncretized with the Yoruba orisha Ochún in the Santería tradition
- •Ernest Hemingway donated his Nobel Prize medal to the basilica (later stolen and recovered)
- •Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis both visited the shrine during their trips to Cuba
Location
Coordinates: 20.0537, -75.9373
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