![]() The water from the miraculous spring grants blessings to those who wash with it, so many devotees, after praying to the saint, go there to clean their illnesses, diseases and ailments. Near the statue, a fountain emanates a stream of water that, according to popular legends, was blessed by the deity. In the Sanctuary located in El Rincón, the effigy is placed on the outskirts of the church, as by rule the institution does not recognize the Saint Lazarus that the devotees venerate. On December 17, the day of Saint Lazarus and Babalú Ayé, thousands of believers flock to the place to thank and ask the saint and the Orisha for help. Sanctuary of San Lázaro Bendito in CubaĮl Sanctuary of San Lázaro, is located west of the capital city of Santiago de las Vegas, precisely in the town "El Rincón" and is today one of the most revered places in the country, with its Catholic church with altars and chapels that are also dedicated to other deities venerated by Cubans as Caridad del Cobre and Santa Bárbara. Thousands of people travel many kilometers, from all over Cuba. all will fulfill their mission to Saint Lazarus. Those who carry promises walk barefoot, crawl, carry a weight on their shoulders, carry thousands of offerings. Months before, faith and devotion have already passed through Cuban roads, people who have prayed to the deity of the Catholic religion and representative of Afro-Cuban culture. Promises to the saintĪs a saint venerated by the Cuban people, there are many who make promises to him in exchange for the return of health or the healing of a loved one.Īnd that is why the pilgrimage to pay tribute in the Sanctuary of San Lázaro, it is not only limited to the month of December. In Cuba, Saint Lazarus is syncretized in Santeria with the Orisha Babalu Aye, African deity of the Yoruba religion, healer of leprosy, smallpox, venereal diseases, skin and in general of pests and misery. The COVID-19 pandemic has marked, and limited, the life of humanity, but in one way or another, the old man on crutches, Babalú Ayé, San Lázaro in general, receive this day in Cuba a heartfelt tribute, which forms part of the nation#39 s heritage.In Cuba, the cult spans centuries and devotees offer the saint great offerings and sacrifices, every December 17, a day in which many keep promises and wear sackcloth in his honor.Įvery year the pilgrimage to Sanctuary of San Lázaro to pay tribute to him, there are more than 15 believers who go there to thank, pray, meditate and implore his miracles. There is a centennial leprosarium, today the modern Guillermo Fernández Hernández-Baquero Dermatological Hospital, and next to it a church dedicated to San Lázaro Obispo, founded in 1916. That Saint Lazarus represents skin conditions (identified with leprosy), contagious diseases, especially venereal diseases, andĪfter that of the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, Cuban Patron Saint, the cult of this San Lázaro of the people is the most important on the island, with a pilgrimage of thousands, promise-payers and others who ask for favors, to the town of El Rincón, on the outskirts of Havana. ![]() The last one mentioned is the one that is most popularly worshiped in Cuba, syncretized with Babalú Ayé, oricha (deity) from Dahomey, in Africa, and worshiped in the Regla de Ocha, known as Santeria. In the Christian tradition there are two Saint Lazarus, the friend of Jesus, whom he resurrected, later Bishop of Marseilles and canonized by the Catholic Church, and a poor beggar represented as a long-haired and bearded old man who wears rags and uses a pair of crutches, with sore legs and surrounded by dogs. The devotion to San Lázaro / Babalú Ayé in Cuba, with a long and rich tradition, is one of the quintessential examples of the syncretism that sustains national culture based on African and Spanish roots.ĭecember 17 is a very special day on the Caribbean island, since more than a saint is venerated, a whole hope, waiting for specific miracles according to believers and, in general, for better times.
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