The Basílica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre (National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Charity

Our Lady of Charity

Our Lady of Charity also known as Our Lady of Cobre is the patroness of Cuba, whose basilica named, Basílica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre built in 1926 is situated in village El Cobre, near Santiago de Cuba, Cuba...

) is a Roman Catholic minor basilica

Basilica

The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...

 dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary located in Santiago de Cuba

Santiago de Cuba

Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

, Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

.

History

It was built in 1926 in the village of El Cobre about 12 miles west of 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

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba is a Metropolitan Archdiocese, responsible for the dioceses of Guantánamo-Baracoa, Holguín and Santisimo Salvador de Bayamo y Manzanillo....

. The basilica was decreed on December 22, 1977.