Basílica del Cobre — Attraction in Santiago de Cuba

The Basílica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre, also known as the National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre. It is located in the village of El Cobre, near Santiago de Cuba. It is a 3 aisled church on the hill "Cerro de la Cantera" and is linked to the village by a flight of 254 steps. It has a central bell tower and two side towers crowned by red-brick domes. The basilica is under the circumscription of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba. The basilica was decreed on December 22, 1 This basilica is a significant pilgrimage site for Cuban Catholics and houses a venerated clay figure of Our Lady of Charity, also known as "La Cachita". The current basilica was begun in 1926 and is the only basilica in Cuba. Our Lady of Charity is the patron saint of Cuba, and devotees often leave yellow flowers as offerings. I...

Be cautious when traveling in that area. There are numerous people who will try to make you stop or change your route. Do not stop or go anywhere else; they will attempt to rob you. Recently, I encountered 6-8 young males trying to force me to stop my rental car, and I nearly had to run one of them over to get away. Stick to the GPS route and do not stop or leave the main building. Be wary of women and children who are trying to deceive you by claiming places are closed; it's a tactic to make you stop. If you lower your windows, you will get robbed.

If you're coming from Holguín, be extremely careful where the road is non-existent in "Caballería." There have been reports of ambushes with large V8 diesel trucks trying to box you in, forcing you to crash to escape. Also, there's a noticeable lack of police presence—I drove around the city looking for fuel and did not see one officer.

Ten cuidado cuando viajes por esa zona. Hay numerosas personas que intentarán hacerte detener o cambiar tu ruta. No te detengas ni vayas a ningún otro lugar; intentarán robarte. Recientemente, me encontré con 6-8 jóvenes tratando de obligarme a detener mi coche de alquiler, y casi tuve que atropellar a uno de ellos para escapar. Sigue la ruta del GPS y no te detengas ni salgas del edificio principal. Ten cuidado con mujeres y niños que intentan engañarte diciendo que los lugares están cerrados; es una táctica para hacerte detener. Si bajas las ventanas, te robarán.

Si vienes desde Holguín, ten mucho cuidado donde la carretera es inexistente en "Caballería". Se han reportado emboscadas con grandes camiones diesel V8 tratando de encerrarte, forzándote a chocar para escapar. Además, hay una notable falta de presencia policial; conduje por la ciudad buscando combustible y no vi a un...

I must admit a lot of skepticism about the stories of this very special place in Cuban history. The Basílica or National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Charity del Cobre is a Roman Catholic minor basilica dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is located near Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. It is special because the Virgin serves as a Catholic national icon and is the Patroness of Cuba. It was build in 1926 in the village of El Cobre, approximately 12 miles west of Santiago de Cuba. There is a long stair flight from...