No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchivePilgrims Converge On Cartago

Pilgrims Converge On Cartago

THE annual pilgrimage has begun.The faithful will come together fromaround the country this weekend in anannual journey to the old colonial capitalof Cartago. The object of their devotion isCosta Rica’s patron saint, its belovedNuestra Señora de los Angeles (Our Ladyof the Angels).Tradition holds that on August 2,1635, Juana Pereira, an indigenous girl,found a dark-skinned statue of the VirginMary. She hid it in her house, only tohave it reappear at the rock where shefound it. Twice she took the statue to thelocal priest, and twice it returned to thesite.The priest interpreted the event as asign that the then-segregated city ofCartago should be integrated, and achurch be built on the site. La Negrita, asCosta Ricans affectionately know the statue,sits high above the altar in a 1926Byzantine-style basilica a few blocks eastof the town center. Many attribute miraclesto her.Some 1.5 million pilgrims are expectedto make the romería (pilgrimage) thisyear, the majority timing their arrival forSunday night. Expect lane closures on theFlorencio del Castillo Highway, the principalroute used by the pilgrims, betweenSan José and Cartago. Police and RedCross workers will staff several aid postsalong the way.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Tops Latin America in Attracting Foreign Millionaires

Costa Rica is a country that attracts millionaires. Projections indicate that by the end of 2025, a total of 350 foreign millionaires will have...

Costa Rica’s Poás Volcano Park Reopening to Tourists With Safety Measures

The Poás Volcano National Park will reopen its doors to tourism starting July 30, after  scientific entities reported a decrease in volcanic activity. This was...

Panama Union Leader Saúl Méndez Goes into Exile in Bolivia

The leader of Panama’s main union, Saúl Méndez, accused of fraud and money laundering, left for exile in Bolivia this Saturday. He had taken...

Keylor Navas Joins Pumas After Controversial Exit from Newell’s

Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas is officially the newest player for Pumas UNAM, but his move from Argentina’s Newell’s Old Boys has been anything...

Chiquita Executives Convicted in Colombia for Financing Death Squads

Colombian justice on Wednesday sentenced seven former executives of the multinational banana company Chiquita Brands to more than 11 years in prison and a...

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly Vacation in Costa Rica with Baby

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly touched down in Costa Rica for a family getaway with their three-month-old daughter, Saga Blade Fox-Baker. Photographers caught...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica