el cobre basilica

BigGuy4

The most holy place in Cuba is worth a visit both for the sacred and the secular. The story of the Virgin is enthralling. The relic and church are absolutely breathtaking. The view is outstanding , including that of the abandoned copper andGold mines. Be warned ... The road leading up to El Cobre is jammed with vendors selling flowers and items to be offered at the alter.

lxd0yo4

Visited this church with family. Place is beautiful and newly remodeled. Spiritual and peaceful place to pray. Definately worth the visit. Traveled from Camaguey to Santiago and it was amazing. Even the drive up to it was great. Would highly recommend you to visit it.

Che_Guevara_Mares

We visited Basilica El Cobre during our trip from Guardalavaca to Santiago de Cuba....it is really nice place and definitelly worth a visit...you wont be disappointed!

Sherakin

Wonderfully renovated Basilica - could be the jewel of every monastery in Europe. No tourist molesting, so it's a win for me.

Mary38677

On our way to the Sierra Maestra mountains we stopped at this wonderful Basilica. It is one of Cubas most important churches.We went on the Feast of the Immaculate conception and mass was being said ,the church was full,so didn't really get time to see the church .Lots of pilgrames were bringing offerings to The Virgin de la Cobre.many carrying sunflowers and wearing yellow .It is a important pilgrim site on Cuba .Nice stained glass window .Offerings are laid in front of the famous statue of the Patron saint of Cuba who is a mixture of a The Virigin and Ochun who is the most powerful Goddess of the Santerian religion .Very peaceful spot .

Tobagomagik

We visited the Basilica on our first day in Santiago de Cuba. The drive was about 30 minutes but there was a lot to see along the way. It is the home of the icon of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad, Cuba’s patron saint, and is one of the holiest sanctuaries in the country. Along the way there were many people selling sunflowers and other items which people take as gifts in exchange for the granting of wishes. There was a priest at the Basilica who was giving blessings to anyone who chose to join the line. It was one of the more "real" places to visit in Cuba as you are surrounded by locals, everyday people, who are just trying to make things better for themselves with blessings and wishes. We felt the strong power of what was taking place there. The Basilica has been visited by two Popes: in 1916, and then in 1998, when Pope John Paul II crowned her statue.If you need a taxi from Santiago de Cuba, call Carlos 0153275231 or email carlosross.2012@yahoo.es. He was an excellent driver and great company. He can also recommend good reasonable places to eat.

Woodroad

This church was supposedly built to commemorate the 17th Century fishermen who believed they were saved from a storm by preying to La Virgen de la Cardidad del Cobre, the patroness of Cuba. A supposed fragment of the Virgin Mary statute that saved them is memorialized in the church. The Basicila (built in 1926) is located near the now mostly abandoned copper mines where African Cubans worked under poor conditions. The church sits high above the small village several miles outside Santiago. The church is venerated by those seeking healing, and there is a home for TB patients in the lower level, but it is architecturally undistinguished.

billmccubbin

El Cobre Basilica is a very pretty church just outside Santiago in the small village of El Cobre which is set up on a hill in the village next to the Sierra Maestra mountains which they mine copper from . Along the road to the church are vendors that sell sunflowers to place at the front on the church( yellow is the colour that represents the saint) as well as small figures of the Virgen & copper . The church is very pretty inside & houses the Virgen encased in glass above the alter.

MiP331

Very very nice cathedral in an isolated area a little distant from Santiago. The main reason for visiting this cathedral is that Cubans have such a big devotion for the black Virgin. Also because the great Pope John XXIII visited this church a few years ago and crowned the said Virgin with a golden crown. Cubans are vey proud of this. The grand devotion they have for the Saint is that she makes miracles. They write letters, probably demands and favors they ask to the Saint and they leave the letter on a specially designated counter for the Saint to read or to accomplish. They buy little stones from the mountain and Holy Water to bring home for them and their relatives.

Catfee

Very nice church, interesting to see mementos left by people. I'm not religious, but I liked it. Went with Cubans who also took me to the slave memorial statue (on the hill that you can see from the church). The walk up to the statue was hot with no shade, but fairly easy because of steps and good trail, only 30 mins there and back. Saw butterflies and iguanas too! This place suffered in the hurricane, you can see that from the top of the hill. You also get a cracking view of the church and can see an amazing blue lake from the top of the hill and the people mining further behind. Worth walking up the hill!

Retirada

To honor both Nuestra Senora de la Caridad, and Ochun, a Santeria goddess, wear yellow when you visit this lovely basilica surrounded by beautiful rolling hills and trees.

Patricio_Odw

Well, location is great, and the church is really beautiful. On the other hand, if you`re not into religious tourism, there is nothing to be seen here. Even in winter the weather is hot and after the last hurricane, trees are not helpful when trying to reach a shade.

MartinK007

Dé kerk in Cuba.Sfeervolle kerk met een prachtig uitzicht op een mooie omgeving.Heel bijzonder omdat er een zwarte madonna in de kerk staat.Al vaker geweest met familie en vrienden en kaarsjes aangestoken.

loco680528

Es un lugar que después de visitarlo te quedaras siempre con el deseo de regresar, la paz y el amor que allí se respira es única. La iglesia de nuestra patrona cubana exhibe en la actualidad sus grandes galas después de su restauración. Es una basílica de una envergadura nacional y que trasciende las fronteras de Cuba.

demarne

Nicht mehr weit nach Santiago, aber die Unterbrechung in El Cobre ist es wert. Die sehenswerte Kirche (man gehe entschlossen an allen Geschäftemachern und "Schenkern" vorbei ...) ist erst einmal schön in die Landschaft eingebettet, aber auch von Innen ein Schmuckstück.Devotionalien drinnen, Blumengeschenke am Zentralaltar, das alles beim wohltuender Kühle des Kirchenschiffes.Die Informationen des Guides runden den Besuch ab, wir haben wohl ein richtiges/ wichtiges Stück Kuba hier aufgesogen.