Religious, Spiritual sights in Miami
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A
Botanicas
The storefronts promise to help in matters of love, work and sometimes 'immigration services,' but trust us, there are no marriage counselors or INS guys in these shops. Welcome to the wide world of vodou. As you enter you'll probably get a funny look, but be courteous, curious and respectful and you should be welcomed.
Before you browse, forget your stereotypes about pins and dolls, because vodou is no scarier than wine turning into blood on Communion. Like many traditional religions, vodou recognizes supernatural forces in everyday objects, powers that are both distinct and part of a single overarching deity. Ergo, you'll see shrines to Jesus next to altars to tradition…
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B
Coral Gables Congregational Church
George Merrick’s father was a New England Congregational minister, so perhaps that accounts for him donating the land for the city’s first church. Built in 1924 as a replica of a church in Costa Rica, the yellow-walled, red-roofed exterior is as far removed from New England as…well, Miami. The interior is graced with a beautiful sanctuary and the grounds are landscaped with stately palms.
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C
Temple Emanu El
A deco temple? Not exactly, but the smooth, bubbly dome and sleek, almost aerodynamic profile of this Conservative synagogue, established in 1938, fits right in on Sobe’s deco parade of moderne this and streamline that. Sabbath services are on Fridays at 6:30pm and Saturdays at 8:45am.
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D
Ermita de la Caridad
The Catholic diocese purchased some of the bayfront land from Deering’s Villa Vizcaya estate and built this shrine here for its displaced Cuban parishioners. Symbolizing a beacon, it faces the homeland, exactly 290 miles due south; there is also a mural that depicts Cuban history.
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E
Ancient Spanish Monastery
The peaceful Ancient Spanish Monastery is firmly rooted in the past. Said to be the oldest building in the Western Hemisphere, it was built in Segovia, Spain, in 1411 and shipped here (much later) by William Randolph Hearst. Score one for crazy tycoons everywhere.
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F
Plymouth Congregational Church
This 1917 coral Mission-style church is striking, from its solid masonry to a hand-carved door from a Pyrenees monastery, which looks like it should be kicked in by Antonio Banderas carrying a guitar case full of explosives and Salma Hayek on his arm.
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