Our Lady of the Mercedes de Camagüey

Marian devotion of Camagüey (Camagüey)

La Church of Our Lady of the Merced It rises in the present city of Camagüey (former Santa Maria del Puerto del Príncipe), in Cuba, and is one of the most important colonial temples in the city. It is in the current Workers' square and its origin is linked to the presence of the friars of the Order of the Market In the city. According to the Cuban encyclopedia EcuRed, the temple was initially built by merchants in the year 1601, associated with a first hermitage and convent of the Order in the area. The convent of La Merced is formally founded 14 July 1602in the place where there was a small hermitage dedicated to Our Lady of the Altagracia, then passing to the merchant advocation.

Main data

Origin and history

La Church of Our Lady of the Merced It rises in the present city of Camagüey (former Santa Maria del Puerto del Príncipe), in Cuba, and is one of the most important colonial temples in the city. It is in the current Workers' square and its origin is linked to the presence of the friars of the Order of the Market In the city. According to the Cuban encyclopedia EcuRed, the temple was initially built by merchants in the year 1601, associated with a first hermitage and convent of the Order in the area. The convent of La Merced is formally founded 14 July 1602in the place where there was a small hermitage dedicated to Our Lady of the Altagracia, then passing to the merchant advocation.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the church was extended and modified. Some tourist sources point to the year 1748 as the date of an important reconstruction or of the architectural configuration that is now appreciated, considering it one of the most remarkable colonial temples in Camagüey. During the war of independence (1895-1898), the cloister was used as a Spanish troops' barracks, and the complex conserves catacumbas which today are considered a unique feature of the building. The recent history of the temple is intertwined with the religious life of the city, remaining one of the main focal points of Marian devotion in Camagüey.

As for the formal recognition of the Virgin of the Mercedes as the traditional patron of the city of Camagüey, does not contain in the sources consulted an official document or explicit ecclesiastical decree; references speak above all of the historical and popular importance of the temple and of the merchant devotion in the city.

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The image and the sanctuary

La advocación de Our Lady of Mercy in Camagüey is venerated in the Church of Our Lady of the Merced, also known as Church of the Merced. The whole was part of an old merchant convent and is located in the historic center of the city, next to the Workers' Square. The temple is characterized by its large colonial architecture, with a sober façade and an outstanding bell tower; inside it it it it retains altars, side altars and devotional spaces that reflect the baroque and popular tradition of the region. Some descriptions highlight the historical value of the cloister, the catacombs and the use of the building in war stages as a barracks, which explains part of its current physionomy.

As for the image of the Virgin, the sources consulted (local encyclopedia, tourist guides and general reviews) do not provide a detailed and documented description of their type (talla o imagen de vestir), ni de su specific material (wood, pasta, etc.). Nor are there any precise data on his iconography beyond the fact that it is the commercial advocation, traditionally represented with white and layer, scapular and sometimes chains as a symbol of the redemption of captives; however, in the specific case of Camagüey's image these features do not explicitly reflect in the sources consulted, so it cannot be strictly stated exactly what the image is.

As for the rank of the temple, does not know that the Church of Our Lady of the Merced of Camagüey has been erected as a minor basilica or declared a national sanctuary in accessible documentation. The sources present it as a parish or historical church of great relevance, but without mention to special liturgical titles officially recognized.

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Sponsorship and coronation

La devoción a Our Lady of Mercy has a marked roots in the city of Camagüey and is part of the religious and cultural history of the city. However, in the verified resources consulted there is no explicit decree officially declaring it "patron of the city", although in popular language it is considered one of Camagüey's most significant Marian claims. It also does not include, in the accessible documentation, that she has been declared a patron of the diocese or of national scope.

In relation to a canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady of the Mercedes of the Church of the Merced de Camagüey, does not contain a documented canonical coronationThe local and general sources do not record the date, decree or intervention of a pontiff or pontifical delegate for this purpose.

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Party and devotion

In the liturgical tradition and in many Spanish-speaking places, the Our Lady of Mercy se celebra el September 24However, in the specific sources on the Church of the Merced de Camagüey, this date is not expressly indicated for the parish calendar. Therefore, the exact date of the main feast as currently held in this church is not recorded in the sources consultedalthough it is reasonable to assume that it is linked to the general calendar of the Order of the Market; this link, however, belongs to the scope of the usual practice and not to the verified documentation on this particular temple.

The available resources describe the Church of the Merced as one of the temples most visited of the historical center, both for its religious and heritage value. It is considered a reference place in the urban landscape of Camagüey and a point of interest for faithful and visitors who seek to know the Catholic tradition of the city. However, do not contain numerical inflow data, or detailed descriptions of processions, pilgrimages or specific popular traditions (for example, processions of the Virgin, particular noces or own rites) in the sources consulted.

In Cuban religiosity, Our Lady of the Mercedes has been the object of intense devotion in several regions of the country, with frequent processes of religious syncretism in relation to various traditions of African descent; however, in the particular case of the Camagüey church examined, do not contain specific descriptions of their own synthetic or devotional practices beyond its consideration as an important Marian temple of the city.

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Link to the Rosary

Sources consulted on the Church of Our Lady of the Camagüey Market do not provide specific information on a specific devotion to the Rosary linked to this image (for example, rosarian copradies, "Rosario de la Aurora," or celebrations of their own focused on the Rosary prayer). Consequently, does not contain a particular and documented link between this local advocation and a distinct and own rosarian practice.

From the Marian spirituality of the Church, devotion to Our Lady of Mercy if harmoniza naturally with el prayer of the Rosarywhich is Marian prayer par excellence in Catholic tradition. Where it is venerated