Description:

In 1608, two boys went out looking for salt to preserve their meat which supplied the workers of the inhabitants of Santiago del Prado. They met up with a horrible storm, and took refuge halfway across the Bay of Nipe. Calm was restored the following day, and they took to the sea, only to see a white bundle approaching them on the waves. As it came closer they saw that it was a statue of the Virgin Mary holding a child on her right arm, with a gold cross in her left hand. The statue was attached to a plank inscribed, "I am the Virgin of Charity." According to sworn witnesses, despite the storm, neither the figure nor her clothes were wet. There are several legends about the Virgin's apparition, almost 400 years ago, which has contributed to the many visitors to Santiago de Cuba. This Lady of Charity, surnamed El Cobre,is the patron saint of Cuba. This beautiful statue illustrates the story of Our Lady of Charity and the boys who found this statue so long ago. From the Joseph's Studio Collection.