The
most important shrine for Cubans and most famous church
in the country is lodged in the foothills of the Sierra
Maestra near the old copper mines that give it its name.
The triple-domed church with the mouthful name of El Sanctuario
de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre, built
in 1927, rises on Maboa hill and is photogenically framed
by green forest. The faithful come from across Cuba on pilgrimages
to pay their respects to (and ask for protection from) a
black Madonna, the Virgen de la Caridad (Virgin of Charity).
She is nothing less than the protectress of Cuba, and her
image, cloaked in a glittering gold robe can be seen throughout
the country. Her parallel figure in Afro-Cuban worship is
Ochún, goddess of love and femininity, who is also
dark-skinned and dressed in bright yellow garments. In 1998
the Pope visited and blessed the shrine, calling the Virgin
"La Reina de los Cubanos" (Queen of Cubans), and
donated a rosary and crown.
According
to legend, Cuba's patron saint was rescued bobbing in the
Bay of Nipe in 1611 by three young fishermen (or miners,
depending on who's telling the story) about to capsize in
a storm. The Madonna wore a sign that read YO SOY LA VIRGEN
DE LA CARIDAD (I am the Virgin of Charity). With the wooden
statue in their grasp, they miraculously made it to shore.
Pilgrims, who often make the last section of the trek on
their knees, pray to her image and place mementos (votos)
and offerings of thanks for her miracles; among them are
small boats and prayers for those who have tried to make
it to Florida on rafts. Ernest Hemingway -- whose fisherman
in The Old Man and the Sea made a promise to visit the shrine
if he could only land his marlin -- donated his Nobel Prize
for Literature to the shrine, but it was stolen (and later
recovered, but never again to be exhibited here). The Virgin
sits on the second floor, up the back stairs, encased in
glass. When Mass is being said, the push of a button turns
the Virgin around to face the congregation. The annual pilgrimage
is September 12, and the patron saint's feast day is July
25. The Basílica is open daily from 6am to 6:30pm;
admission is free.
You
can take a taxi to El Cobre for $20 to $30 round-trip. The
no. 2 bus runs between Santiago and El Cobre four times
daily, leaving from the main bus station in Santiago. To
enhance the spiritual experience, or to merely have a serene
and incredibly cheap overnight stay, there's an inn behind
the church, Hospedería de la Caridad, which welcomes
foreigners who abide by the strict rules; a stay costs a
mere 10 pesos a night (38¢), although they generally
charge foreigners a few dollars. There are only 15 austere
but well-kept rooms; it's necessary to reserve by phone
(tel. 22/3-6246) at least 15 days in advance.
|
 |
Cachita
..."La Virgin de la Caridad"
Around 1600, 2 Indian boys, found a 30cm high wooden statue
of a black virgin in the Bay of Nipe. On her left arm she
was carrying the child Jesus and in her right hand she held
a golden cross. The statue had the inscription :"Yo
soy la Virgin de la Caridad" (I'm the Virgin of Mercy)
In
1608 the statue was brought to mine village. She got famous
of projecting freedom, doing wonders, gives consolation
and heals wounds after wars. In 1916 the pope canonize her
to the saint of protection. |
