Religious, Spiritual sights in Caribbean Islands
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Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Regla
As important as it is diminutive, the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Regla, which lies just behind the boat dock in the municipality of Regla, has a long and colorful history. Inside on the main altar you’ll find La Santísima Virgen de Regla, a black Madonna venerated in the Catholic faith and associated in the Santería religion with Yemayá, the orisha (spirit) of the ocean and the patron of sailors (always represented in blue). Legend claims that this image was carved by St Augustine ‘The African’ in the 5th century, and that in the year AD 453 a disciple brought the statue to Spain to safeguard it from barbarians. The small vessel in which the image was traveling su…
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Funicular de Sant Joan
You can explore the mountain above Montserrat Monastery by a network of paths leading to some of the peaks and to 13 empty and rather dilapidated little chapels. The Funicular de Sant Joan will carry you from the monastery 250m up the mountain in seven minutes. Children pay about half price on the funiculars. If you prefer to walk, the road leading past the funicular’s bottom station winds 3km up the mountain and around to the top station. From the Sant Joan top station, it’s a 20-minute stroll (signposted) to the Sant Joan chapel. Enjoy the views as you look west from the trail. More exciting is the hour’s walk northwest along a path marked with occasional blobs o…
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Santuario de San Lázaro
The object of one of Cuba’s most important pilgrimages, this small, sparkling church in the village of El Rincón just outside Santiago de las Vegas is the venerated shrine of San Lázaro, a Christian saint known for his ministrations to lepers and the poor. Every year on December 17 (Saint Lazarus’ feast day), thousands of Cubans descend on the sanctuary en masse, some on bloodied knees, others walking barefoot for kilometers through the night to exorcise evil spirits and pay off debts for miracles granted. San Lázaro is paralleled in Santería by the orisha Babalú Ayé, the Yoruba god of sickness. A statue of the saint made of wood with gold and marble finishes stan…
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Iglesia de San José
What it lacks in grandiosity it makes up for in age; the Iglesia de San José in the Plaza de San José is the second-oldest church in the Americas, after the cathedral in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Established in 1523 by Dominicans, this church with its vaulted Gothic ceilings still bears the coat of arms of Juan Ponce de León (whose family worshipped here), a striking carving of the Crucifixion and ornate processional floats. For 350 years, the remains of Ponce de León rested in a crypt here before being moved to the city’s cathedral, down the hill. Another relic missing from the chapel is a Flemish carving of the Virgin of Bethlehem, which came to the isla…
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Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
Crying out for a major renovation, the rapidly disintegrating Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción was built in 1833 on the site of a much older church. Its most famous artifact is the priceless Cruz de La Parra, a wooden cross said to have been erected by Columbus near Baracoa in 1492. Carbon dating has authenticated the cross’ age (it dates from the late 1400s), but has indicated that it was originally made out of indigenous Cuban wood, thus disproving the legend that Columbus brought the cross from Europe. The church was closed at the time of writing and the cross was being displayed in the last house on Calle Antonio Maceo, behind the church to the right.
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Iglesia Parroquial Mayor de San Salvador
The Iglesia Parroquial Mayor de San Salvador, is where the national anthem was first sung, in 1868. The plaque on the facade lists the orchestra members and their instruments in that famous debut, giving you an idea of how deep the cultural patrimony runs here. A mural painted at the front of the church in 1919 depicts the blessing of the flag by Céspedes on October 20, 1868. The only part of the building that survived the great fire of 1869, when retreating revolutionaries set fire to the town, is the striking Capilla de la Dolorosa. The chapel's main altar and the statue of the Virgen de los Dolores date from 1740.
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Synagogue
Jamaica’s only synagogue, home to the United Congregation of the Israelites, is an attractive building dating from 1912 (its predecessor was toppled by the 1907 earthquake). The place is worth a visit for its fine mahogany staircase and gallery. Sand muffles your footsteps as you roam – a symbolic memorial to the days of the Inquisition, when Jews fleeing persecution in Spain were forced to practice their faith in Jamaica in secret. The synagogue is usually locked, though if you call in advance you can often arrange for the caretaker to open up on request for a small donation.
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Iglesia Parroquial de la Santísima Trinidad
Despite its rather unremarkable outer facade, the Iglesia Parroquial de la Santísima Trinidad, on the northeastern side of Plaza Mayor, graces countless Trinidad postcard views. Rebuilt in 1892 on the site of an earlier church destroyed in a storm, the church mixes 20th-century touch-ups with older artifacts from as far back as the 18th century, such as the venerated Christ of the True Cross (1713), which occupies the second altar from the front to the left. Your best chance of seeing it is during Mass at 8pm weekdays, 4pm Saturday, and 9am and 5pm Sunday.
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Casa Templo de Santería Yemayá
No Santería museum can replicate the ethereal spiritual experience of Regla de Ocha, though the Casa Templo de Santería Yemayá has a try. Containing a Santería altar to Yemayá, Goddess of the Sea with myriad offerings of fruit, water and stones, the house is presided over by santeros (priests of the Afro-Cuban religion Santería) who’ll emerge from the back patio and surprise you with some well-rehearsed tourist spiel. On the saint’s anniversary, March 19, ceremonies are performed day and night.
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Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús
A little out on a limb but well worth the walk is the Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, an inspiring marble creation with a distinctive white steeple, where you can enjoy a few precious minutes of quiet and cool contemplation away from the craziness of the street. This church is rightly famous for its magnificent stained-glass windows, and the light that penetrates through the eaves first thing in the morning (when the church is deserted) gives the place an almost ethereal quality.
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Catedral Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
The twin bell towers of this cathedral cast an impression of piety over the plaza, even as young punks gather to show off skate tricks on its steps. The structure was built in 1931, in the place where colonists erected their first chapel in the 1660s, which (along with subsequent structures) succumbed to earthquakes and fires. Its stained glass windows and lovely interior are picturesque, but be mindful of the fact that this is a fully functioning church, with a number of daily services.
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St Augustine's Monastery
The fortresslike St Augustine's Monastery sits atop a rocky perch on Bernard Rd. This working monastery was designed by Father Jerome, the itinerant architect-cleric who blessed Cat and Long Islands with beautiful Gothic churches. The imposing building dates from 1947 and is still used by Benedictine monks, who give guided tours that offer a fascinating glimpse of monastic life.
A college run by the monks is attached. Phone ahead to enquire about opening hours.
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Burchell Memorial Baptist Church
Two blocks east of Sam Sharpe Sq, Burchell Memorial Baptist Church is a brick structure dating to 1835. Sam Sharpe was a deacon here. The original church was founded in 1824 by Rev Thomas Burchell. An angry mob destroyed the church in reprisal for Burchell’s support of the emancipation cause, but the missionary escaped to sea. Sam Sharpe’s remains are buried in the vault.
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Capilla del Cristo
Over the centuries, tens of thousands of penitents have come to pray for miracles at the Capilla del Cristo, the tiny outdoor sanctuary adjacent to Parque de las Palomas (Dove Park). One legend claims that the chapel was built to prevent people from falling over the city wall and into the sea. Another claims that citizens constructed the chapel to commemorate a miracle.
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Parroquia de San Antonio de Padua
Barranquita's charming central plaza is overlooked by the Parroquia de San Antonio de Padua, a small church that was first constructed in 1804 but subsequently destroyed by two catastrophic hurricanes (the first of which wiped out the whole town). Rebuilt in 1933 in a quaint postcolonial style, the church was recently renovated and gleams amid the surrounding mountain greenery.
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Basilica
From Plaça de Santa Maria you enter the courtyard of the 16th-century basilica. The façade, with its carvings of Christ and the 12 Apostles, dates from 1901, despite its 16th-century Plateresque style. For La Moreneta, follow the signs to the Cambril de la Mare de Déu, to the right of the basilica’s main entrance.
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Nuestra Señora de los Dolores
On the northwest side of Parque Central is the church of Nuestra Señorade los Dolores. This Mexican colonial- style church was built in 1926, after the original was destroyed by a hurricane. In 1957 the parish priest, Guillermo Sardiñas, left Nueva Gerona to join Fidel Castro in the Sierra Maestra, the only Cuban priest to do so.
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Catedral de San Rosendo
Pinar del Río’s understated Catedral de San Rosendo dates from 1883 and its pastel-yellow exterior seems to get a more regular paint job than the rest of the city’s buildings. As with most Cuban churches, the interior is often closed. Slip inside for a peek during the Sunday morning service.
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Trinity Cathedral
Open only for services (5:30am weekdays, 8:30am Sun) or if you call ahead for the caretaker to let you in, this dilapidated church is noted largely for having been the site of Norman Manley’s funeral (attended by such dignitaries as Fidel Castro) as well as a small wall of mosaics dating back to Spanish times.
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St Andrew Parish Church
This brick church is more popularly known as the ‘Half Way Tree Church.’ The foundations of the existing church were laid in 1692. The exterior is austere and unremarkable, but the stained-glass windows and organ are definitely worth a peek. Outside, there’s a very atmospheric graveyard.
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Christ Church
Following William St south to Harbour St, you can turn left to peek inside Christ Church, a red-brick Anglican building built in neo-Romanesque style around 1840 (much of the structure dates from 1903). The singular item of note is the brass lectern donated by Captain Lorenzo Dow Baker.
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Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen
The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen is a hall church dating from the 1700s that is the final resting place of Christmas-carol composer Esteban Salas (1725–1803), choir master of Santiago de Cuba’s cathedral from 1764 until his death.
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St Mark's Church
St Mark's Church, on the south side of Cecil Charlton Park, was established in 1819. The timber clerestory is impressive, as is the churchyard.
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Iglesia de San Pedro Apóstol
The neoclassical Iglesia de San Pedro Apóstol is a Matanzas jewel in need of a makeover.
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