Catedral de las Santas Hermanas de Santa Clara de Asís

Santa Clara


Three blocks west of Parque Vidal, Santa Clara's cathedral was constructed amid huge controversy in 1923 after the demolition of the city's original church in the main park. It contains a fantastic collection of stained-glass windows, some notable art deco influences and a mythical white statue of Mother Mary known (unofficially) as La Virgen de la Charca (Virgin of the Pond).

The statue was discovered in a ditch in the 1980s, having mysteriously disappeared shortly after the cathedral's consecration in 1954. It returned to grace the cathedral in 1995.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Santa Clara attractions

1. Teatro la Caridad

0.16 MILES

Many are deceived by the relatively austere neoclassical facade, but toss CUC$1 to whoever is manning the door and you'll serendipitously discover why the…

2. Parque Vidal

0.17 MILES

A veritable alfresco theater named for Colonel Leoncio Vidal y Caro, who was killed here on March 23, 1896, Parque Vidal was encircled by twin sidewalks…

3. Museo de Artes Decorativas

0.19 MILES

Something of a sleeping beauty on Parque Vidal, this 18th-century mansion turned museum is packed with period furniture from a whole gamut of styles that…

4. Palacio Provincial

0.21 MILES

The eastern side of Parque Vidal is guarded by the thick columns of the neoclassical Palacio Provincial (1902), today home to the Martí library (9am to…

5. Melaíto Murals

0.25 MILES

Santa Clara is peppered with comic book–style murals, the work of a local graphic artists' collective called Melaíto, which produces a monthly supplement…

6. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen

0.36 MILES

The city's oldest church is five blocks north of Parque Vidal. It was built in 1748, with a tower added in 1846. During the War of Independence it stood…