Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Merced Churches and Convents, Camaguey. Cuba

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• Camaguey City. Cuba
• Destination: Camaguey
• Open: Daily
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The Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Merced is the most interesting and impressive church in Camaguey and home to the silver Holy Sepulcher. The history of the church dates to 1601 when the first Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Merced was built. According to legend a figure appeared on this spot and the miraculous event led to the building of the church. In the middle of the 18th Century it was rebuilt with a church and convent. Later reconstructions also took place but the church today maintains a Baroque façade. The interior boasts some beautiful and unique looking murals. Beneath the church are the catacombs, which are entered near the main altar. People were buried in the catacombs until 1814.

Mapa de Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Merced

Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Merced is located in Camaguey

Camagüey is the birthplace of some of the most relevant personalities of Cuban Culture: Nicolás Guillén, Cuba's Laureate Poet; writer and poetess Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda; Ballet of Camagüey, the second company of Cuba, and the Folkloric Dance Group; famous painters Fidelio Ponce de León and Flora Fong are only some of the examples worth mentioning. Popular festivities like the San Juan Camagüeyano, a traditional festival that started in the 18th century, have transcended until our days.

Camagüey City, the capital of the province, treasures one of the most important historical centers in the country, recently declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO; and is one of the Cuban cities that better preserve the Hispano-Arabic features regarding urbanism and architecture. Its several churches have significant examples of the art and religious-funeral customs of colonial times.

Santa Lucía Beach, located in the northern coast of the easterncentral part of Cuba, is the main tourist destination in Camagüey province. It has some 21km of warm transparent water, fine white sand and a well preserved environment that serves as habitat to important pink flamingos' colonies. It faces the Old Channel of Bahamas, surrounded to the east by Las Tunas province; to the west by the Jardines del Rey archipelago and to the south by the flat lands of Camagüey. The coral formations, located just 2km off the coast, display a surprising biodiversity that invite to contemplate the undersea beauties. There are 35 diving points at Santa Lucía Beach that allow divers meeting with the remains of sunken ships from the 19th and 20th centuries as well as enjoying a curious show in which experienced guides feed with their bare hands friendly sharks near the Nuevitas Bay.

Review about Churches and Convents: Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Merced