Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Merced

Camagüey


Dating from 1748, this is arguably Camagüey’s most impressive colonial church. Its history is imbued with legend. Local myth tells of a miraculous figure that floated from the watery depths here in 1601, and it has been a spot of worship ever since. The active convent in the attached cloister is distinguished by its two-level arched interior, spooky catacombs (where the church faithful were buried until 1814) and the dazzling Santo Sepulcro, a solid silver coffin.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Camagüey attractions

1. Museo Casa Natal de Ignacio Agramonte

0.05 MILES

The birthplace of independence hero Ignacio Agramonte (1841–73), the cattle rancher who led the Camagüey area's revolt against Spain. The house – an…

2. Galería El Colonial

0.12 MILES

A shopping complex, Cuban-style, with all its engaging foibles and interpretations of commerce. Hit this pink colonial building, spruced up for the city's…

4. Casa Natal de Nicolás Guillén

0.16 MILES

This modest house gives visitors a small insight into Cuba's late national poet and his books. It doubles as the Instituto Superior de Arte, where local…

5. Casa de Arte Jover

0.21 MILES

Camagüey is home to two of Cuba's most creative and prodigious contemporary painters, Joel Jover and his wife Ileana Sánchez. Their magnificent home in…

7. Parque Ignacio Agramonte

0.24 MILES

Camagüey's most dazzling square in the heart of the city invites relaxation with rings of marble benches and an equestrian statue (c 1950) of Camagüey's…

8. Casa de la Diversidad

0.27 MILES

Impossible to miss thanks to its eclectic facade (a mix of Moorish and neoclassical elements), this museum's best exhibit is the building itself. Four…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "cuba/camaguey/attractions/iglesia-de-nuestra-senora-de-la-merced/a/poi-sig/1014589/1005307",
      "destination": "Camagüey",
      "continent": "Caribbean",
      "country": "Cuba",
      "city": "Camagüey",
      "position": "superzone"
    }