Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (Our Lady of the Angels Basilica), Costa Rica
Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (Our Lady of the Angels Basilica)is a Roman Catholic Basilica located in the city of Cartago, the former capital of Costa Rica. One of the most famous churches in Costa Rica is dedicated to the Virgin of Nuestra Señora de los Angeles.
The basilica was built in honor of Costa Rica's patron saint La Negrita (the Black Madonna) on the site where young girl Juana Pereira discovered a black-skinned image of the Virgin Mary in 1635. The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles was originally built in the middle of 17th century, while the present gray and white basilica in Byzantine style dates from 1926. The original church was destroyed in an earthquake in 1920.
The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles is visited by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from Costa Rica as well as from Central America every year on August 2 to worship a 15 cm high image of La Negrita and to receive her miraculous healing power.
