National Basilica Sanctuary of the Charity del Cobre

Nuestra Señora del Cobre
Nuestra Señora del Cobre
Basílica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre
	20°3′2.9772″N 75°56′56.274″W / 20.050827000°N 75.94896500°W / 20.050827000; -75.94896500
Location	El Cobre, Santiago de Cuba
Country	Cuba
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Dedication	Our Lady of Charity del Cobre
Consecrated	1926
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architectural type	Church
Completed	1926
Administration
Province	Santiago de Cuba
Diocese	Santiago de Cuba

The Basílica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre (National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Charity del Cobre) is a Roman Catholic minor basilica dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary located in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.

The church houses the Virgin of Charity del Cobre, a colonial era virgin which is a Catholic national icon, The Patroness of Cuba.

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. The basilica was decreed on December 22, 1977.^[1]