Now church of Our Lady of Mercy Devotees come to implore the blessings of the saint for health and prosperity and especially in these troubled times ... for peace.
La Church of La Merced It is one of the main religious temples in Havana. Located in the San Isidro neighborhood, it is characterized by its sumptuousness and by the large number of faithful who come to pray to the saint.
Its construction dates back to 1630. However, it was not until 1867 that the construction of the temple was completely finished, thanks to the contribution of counts, marquises and people of all social classes of the city.
The architecture of the church responds to the Baroque style and has three huge naves separated from each other by semicircular arches.
It has a main altar La Iglesia de la Merced to which the faithful of the Virgin of the Mercedes They must access through the stairs to prostrate themselves in the chapel and pray to the Virgin asking for her blessing.
Blessings of the Virgen de las Mercedes
The Virgin of Mercy, is one of the Marian invocations of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and is also known as the Queen of Peace, General of the Heavenly Armies and The Woman Clothed with the Sun.
About this, how much the legend that in 1218 San Pedro Nolasco had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which he became known as La Virgen de la Merced, and exhorted him to found a religious order with that name to redeem the captive Christians.
For this reason, the Virgin is also known as the patron of unjustly prisoners or captives.
Celebrations in the Church of Our Lady of Mercy in Cuba
The Virgen de las Mercedes is syncretized in the Yoruba religion with obbatala, the most powerful deity of the Orishas, the creator of human beings and of everything that habita on planet Earth
The divinities are celebrated on September 24 in the Church of Las Mercedes. There the devotees of both religions dressed in white come to beg the Virgin for her blessings, the solution of family matters and the cure of diseases.
People can beg the Mother of Christ or Obbatalá, the Supreme Orisha, in Cuba this is something extremely common due to the religious syncretism that identifies Cuban religiosity and the culture and identity of the Island in general.
Both divinities represent hope for the homeless, peace of mind, serenity and calm.
For this reason, every September 24, the Cuban faithful sing to the saints in the Church of the Virgin. of theas Mercedes. There, like celestial murmurs, hundreds of voices raise their prayers and prayers, sometimes with African touches and pray, pray for the well-being of the family and for permanent justice.
