Our Lady of Charity
Encyclopedia
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
(National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Charity) built in 1926 is situated in village El Cobre, near Santiago de Cuba
, Cuba. The feast day of Our Lady of Charity is September 8.
for salt. They are traditionally called the "three Juans". They needed the salt for the preservation the meat at the Barajagua slaughter house, which supplied the workers and inhabitants of Santiago del Prado, now known as El Cobre. While out in the bay, a storm arose, rocking their tiny boat violently with ongoing waves. Juan, the slave, was wearing a medal with the image of the Virgin Mary. The three men began to pray for her protection. Suddenly, the skies cleared, and the storm was gone. In the distance, they saw a strange object floating in the water. They rowed towards it as the waves brought it towards them. At first they mistook it for a bird, but quickly saw that it was what seemed to be a statue of a girl. At last they were able to determine that it was a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus on her right arm and holding a gold cross in her left hand. The statue was fastened to a board with an inscription saying "Yo Soy la Virgen de la Caridad" or "I am the Virgin of Charity." The statue was dressed with real cloth and the Virgin had real hair and skin of a mixed woman. Much to their surprise, the statue remained completely dry while afloat in the water.
Preserved in the General Archive of the Indies
of Seville
, a testimony of Juan Moreno, given in 1687, says the following:
“Having camped in the French Key, which is in the middle of the Bay of Nipe, waiting for a good time to leave for the salt mines, being a morning of calm seas, they left the French Keys, before daybreak. The aforementioned Juan y Rodrigo de Hoyos and myself, embarked in a canoe, headed for the salt mines, and far from the French Key we saw something white above the foam of the water, which we couldn’t distinguish. As we got closer, birds and dry branches appeared. The aforementioned Indians said, 'It looks like a girl.' While they were discussing, they saw an image of Our Lady, the Holy Virgin, on top of a small wooden plank, holding the baby Jesus in her arms. On this small tablet, was written in large letters, which read , 'I am the Virgin of Charity.' Looking at her clothes, they realized that they were not wet. In seeing this, full of joy they each took only one third of salt and went to Barajagua."
Overjoyed by what they had discovered, they collected only a third of the salt they were supposed to collect and hurried back to Barajagua. They showed the statue to a government official, Don Francisco Sánchez de Moya, who then ordered a small chapel to be built in her honor. One night, Rodrigo went to visit they statue, but discovered that the image was gone. He organized a search party, but had no success in finding Our Lady of Charity. Then, the next morning, she was back on the altar, as if nothing had happened. This was inconceivable as the chapel had been locked. This event happened three times. The people of Barajagua came to the conclusion that she wanted to be in a different spot, so they took her to El Cobre. She was received with much joy in El Cobre, and the church there had its bells ring on her arrival. It was at this point that she became known as "Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre" or "Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre". Much to the dismay of people in El Cobre, the disappearance of the statue continued to happen.
One day, a young girl named Apolonia was playing outside, pursuing butterflies and picking flowers. She went towards the mountains of the Sierra Maestra
, where she came across the statue on top of a small hill. There were those who did and those who did not believe the little girl's testimony, but in the end, the Virgin was taken to the spot of her discovery, where a church was erected for her. The story circulated around the island quickly. Many feel that the Virgin purposely chose to have her sanctuary in El Cobre because it is located in Oriente; the natural beauty there is the most stunning in Cuba, with its mountains, beaches, rivers, and thick forests. It was in Oriente that the first settlement in Cuba was made, Baracoa
; it was in Oriente where the slaves were set free for the first time in 1868; it was in Oriente where Cubans first began to revolt against the Spaniards
.
, Our Lady of Charity was declared the patroness of Cuba by Pope Benedict XV
in 1916 and solemnly crowned in the Eucharistic Congress held in Santiago de Cuba
in 1936. Pope Paul VI
raised her sanctuary to the category of Basilica in 1977.
and the Church of Our Lady of Charity of Bantay or Apo Caridad de Bantay in Bantay, Ilocos Sur
in Northern Luzon.
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of 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...
, whose basilica named, Basílica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre
Basílica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre
The Basílica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre is a Roman Catholic minor basilica dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary located in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.-History:...
(National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Charity) built in 1926 is situated in village El Cobre, near 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. The feast day of Our Lady of Charity is September 8.
History
The story behind the La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, began around 1608 (sometime between 1604 and 1612 depending on the source). Two brothers, Rodrigo and Juan de Hoyos, and their slave, Juan Moreno, set out to the Bay of NipeNipe Bay
Nipe Bay is a bay on the northern coast of eastern Cuba. It is where the statue of Our Lady of Charity, Patroness of Cuba, was discovered miraculously around 1600. The Battle of Nipe Bay happened on July 21, 1898; it was a naval engagement in the Spanish-American War. Fidel Castro was born near...
for salt. They are traditionally called the "three Juans". They needed the salt for the preservation the meat at the Barajagua slaughter house, which supplied the workers and inhabitants of Santiago del Prado, now known as El Cobre. While out in the bay, a storm arose, rocking their tiny boat violently with ongoing waves. Juan, the slave, was wearing a medal with the image of the Virgin Mary. The three men began to pray for her protection. Suddenly, the skies cleared, and the storm was gone. In the distance, they saw a strange object floating in the water. They rowed towards it as the waves brought it towards them. At first they mistook it for a bird, but quickly saw that it was what seemed to be a statue of a girl. At last they were able to determine that it was a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus on her right arm and holding a gold cross in her left hand. The statue was fastened to a board with an inscription saying "Yo Soy la Virgen de la Caridad" or "I am the Virgin of Charity." The statue was dressed with real cloth and the Virgin had real hair and skin of a mixed woman. Much to their surprise, the statue remained completely dry while afloat in the water.
Archivo General de Indias
The Archivo General de Indias , housed in Seville, Spain, in the ancient merchants' exchange, the Casa Lonja de Mercaderes, is the document repository of extremely valuable archival documents illustrating the history of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and the Philippines...
of Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, a testimony of Juan Moreno, given in 1687, says the following:
“Having camped in the French Key, which is in the middle of the Bay of Nipe, waiting for a good time to leave for the salt mines, being a morning of calm seas, they left the French Keys, before daybreak. The aforementioned Juan y Rodrigo de Hoyos and myself, embarked in a canoe, headed for the salt mines, and far from the French Key we saw something white above the foam of the water, which we couldn’t distinguish. As we got closer, birds and dry branches appeared. The aforementioned Indians said, 'It looks like a girl.' While they were discussing, they saw an image of Our Lady, the Holy Virgin, on top of a small wooden plank, holding the baby Jesus in her arms. On this small tablet, was written in large letters, which read , 'I am the Virgin of Charity.' Looking at her clothes, they realized that they were not wet. In seeing this, full of joy they each took only one third of salt and went to Barajagua."
Overjoyed by what they had discovered, they collected only a third of the salt they were supposed to collect and hurried back to Barajagua. They showed the statue to a government official, Don Francisco Sánchez de Moya, who then ordered a small chapel to be built in her honor. One night, Rodrigo went to visit they statue, but discovered that the image was gone. He organized a search party, but had no success in finding Our Lady of Charity. Then, the next morning, she was back on the altar, as if nothing had happened. This was inconceivable as the chapel had been locked. This event happened three times. The people of Barajagua came to the conclusion that she wanted to be in a different spot, so they took her to El Cobre. She was received with much joy in El Cobre, and the church there had its bells ring on her arrival. It was at this point that she became known as "Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre" or "Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre". Much to the dismay of people in El Cobre, the disappearance of the statue continued to happen.
One day, a young girl named Apolonia was playing outside, pursuing butterflies and picking flowers. She went towards the mountains of the Sierra Maestra
Sierra Maestra
Sierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province from what is now Guantánamo Province to Niquero in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. Some view it as a series of connecting ranges , which joins with others extending to the west...
, where she came across the statue on top of a small hill. There were those who did and those who did not believe the little girl's testimony, but in the end, the Virgin was taken to the spot of her discovery, where a church was erected for her. The story circulated around the island quickly. Many feel that the Virgin purposely chose to have her sanctuary in El Cobre because it is located in Oriente; the natural beauty there is the most stunning in Cuba, with its mountains, beaches, rivers, and thick forests. It was in Oriente that the first settlement in Cuba was made, Baracoa
Baracoa
Baracoa is a municipality and city in Guantánamo Province near the eastern tip of Cuba. It was founded by the first governor of Cuba, the Spanish conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar in 1511...
; it was in Oriente where the slaves were set free for the first time in 1868; it was in Oriente where Cubans first began to revolt against the Spaniards
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Veneration
At the request of the veterans of the War of IndependenceCuban War of Independence
Cuban War of Independence was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War and the Little War...
, Our Lady of Charity was declared the patroness of Cuba by Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV , born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, reigned as Pope from 3 September 1914 to 22 January 1922...
in 1916 and solemnly crowned in the Eucharistic Congress held 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....
in 1936. Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
raised her sanctuary to the category of Basilica in 1977.
Our Lady of Charity in the Philippines
In the Philippines, The chapel of Our Lady of Charity was also known as Apo Caridad in Ilocano is now in Church of Our Lady of Charity of Agoo or Apo Caridad de Agoo in Agoo, La UnionAgoo, La Union
Agoo is a 1st class municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 57,952 people in 9,945 households....
and the Church of Our Lady of Charity of Bantay or Apo Caridad de Bantay in Bantay, Ilocos Sur
Bantay, Ilocos Sur
Bantay is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the latest census , it has a population of 35,439 people in 6,001 households.-Barangays:...
in Northern Luzon.