The Abode of the Most Pure Virgin of Charity, especially revered in Cuba, Madame de la Caridad, is located 18 kilometres from the city of Santiago de Cuba. Caridad, is located 18 kilometres from the city of Santiago de Cuba, in the small village of of the miners of El Cobre.
On a green hill above a dense wild forest majestically rises a snow-white basilica. It and keeps carefully the image of the patron saint of Cuba, the appearance of which is still considered a great miracle. As the legend goes, on a morning in 1607, two Indian boys were sent by their master boys were sent by their master to search for salt on the shores of the Gulf of Nipe. However, a storm and bad weather prevented them from fulfilling their orders. After three days of searching. the boys got into a boat and decided to head for the salt mines. And then, in the thick fog, they found a bale floating towards them in the churning waters. In it was a statue no bigger than five inches. And on a small plaque shone the inscription: "Yo soy la Virgen de la Caridad, which translates as "I am the Blessed Virgin Mercy." In the Virgin's left hand was a baby, right hand raised for a blessing. The boys took the statue to their master, the manager of the copper mines. Francisco Sanchez de Moya, who immediately ordered a hermitage to be built where the shrine would be kept. where the relic would be kept.
Three years later, the image of the Virgin of Charity was seen by a little girl in the hills of El Cobre, after which it was decided to build a basilica. So the chapel has stood since 1830, and holds many offerings, among them a golden medal of Nobel laureate, the famous writer Ernest Hemingway.
In 1916, Pope Benedict XV solemnly declared Mistress de la Caridad, Most Pure Virgin of Charity, as the holy sovereign and patron saint of Cuba. Pilgrims from all over Latin America ascend to the cloister on their knees. The power and patronage of the Virgin are considered truly fantastic, and the flow of people full of of hope and faith never ceases all year round.
