Church of Jesus of Miramar, in Havana
Photo Feature by Irina Pino
HAVANA TIMES – Walking along Havana’s 5th Avenue is a visual delight, but it is even more satisfying to enter a place that boasts impressive beauty. This is the Church of Jesus of Miramar, on 82nd Street.
The project was carried out by architect Eugenio Cosculluela, at the request of Fray Aniseto, a Spanish practitioner of the Capuchin order. Its construction seems like an incredible feat, beginning in 1948 and concluding in 1953.
It stands between the Neo-Romanesque and Byzantine styles, with an enormous construction that includes not only the temple but also adjacent buildings, interior, and exterior courtyards. In one of these courtyards, there is the grotto of the Virgin of Lourdes, to whom the healing of the sick is attributed. Many devotees pray to her and place flowers daily.
Its luxury, seemingly contradictory, is elegance without ostentation, with a pitched roof, richly decorated semicircular arches, enormous windows, marble of different colors, and a terrazzo floor. The Stations of the Cross are prominent in the paintings on its walls. Spanish artist Cesar Hombrados depicted the suffering Christ endured on his path to Calvary, painted in vivid colors to give us a glimpse of his bodily and spiritual pain.
It has a main hall and other side halls, in one of which is the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, the patroness of Cubans.
It is said that its dome is the second largest in Cuba, with the first being the Capitol of Havana. An interesting feature is its pipe organ, the largest on the island, which has three consoles and 73 registers.
For any walker not familiar with it, this church could surprise them with its architecture and beauty. That is why I encourage you to visit this place and pause to contemplate it. Experiencing spiritual retreat and visual satisfaction can change your day, and surely, your soul will come out stronger.
