CUBA CHURCHES
Since the earliest days of the Spanish colony, a Catholic church building has faced the main square of most Cuban towns. The most famous of these is the 18th century Catedral de San Cristobal de La Habana, with an asymmetrical baroque facade in the style of Italian architect Francesco Borromini. In contrast, Santiago de Cuba Cathedral was only finished in 1922.
What Santiago has that is unique is the Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Cobre, 20 kilometers southwest of town, with an image of the Virgen de la Caridad which was declared the patron saint of Cuba by Pope Benedict XV in 1916. Pope John Paul II recrowned the image during his visit to Cuba in 1998.
All the photos on Cuba-Pictures.com are by David Stanley, original author of Lonely Planet Cuba. The images on this page are details. To view the complete photos, click on the thumbnails. | 
