El Cobre

We arrived in Santiago at noon, which is late in the day for city tours. So they offered an excursion to El Cobre, which is a town up in the Sierra Maestra mountains outside of town. It was a copper mining town. The largest open copper mine in the country is in the hills around the town. The mine closed in 2001, so today the town mainly lives by tourism.

The main attraction there is the Basílica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre which is the shrine of the Virgin of Charity.

This image of the Virgin was credited with saving three sailors lost off the coast. The three men were lost in a storm and prayed to the Virgin to save them. Suddenly the skies cleared. They spotted something floating in the water, and when they took it in it turned out to be an image of the Virgin Mary. The men took the image to the church in Santiago; but it kept disappearing. So apparently she wasn’t happy there. It was moved to another church; but the same thing happened. Then a young girl was picking flowers on top of a hill and said she saw the image there. So they built a church on the top of the hill. She seemed to be happy there and hasn’t disappeared since.

The Virgin of Charity has been declared the Patron Saint of Cuba. She has been viewed by three Popes, all of whom have brought her gifts such a gold crown and a bouquet of white roses made of porcelain.

The cart used to carry the image in processions.

The street in front of the church is lined with stall selling bouquets of yellow sunflowers for offerings and handmade souvenirs.

It was a short trip, but it was nice to get up higher where it was a bit cooler and less humid. We got back to the ship in time to rest a bit before dinner and our night out.