Hospice behind the Sanctuary,1997, El Cobre, Cuba.

Former hospice and Sanctuary, c. 1904 (left); current interior view of 1920s hospice, El Cobre, 1997 (right). Click on images to view full-size

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The Sanctuary's hospice lodges and feeds pilgrims visiting the shrine and houses some nuns and ecclesiastical personnel. It does not presently offer accomodations to tourists, although that may change as it has in many active convents and monasteries in Europe which have begun to lodge secular tourists as a means of economic survival.

Hospices are a sign of a strong pilgrimage tradition, particularly in places like El Cobre where there is no tourist infrastructure. During the colonial period pilgrims and visitors stayed in the chaplain's large house and in private homes that doubled as inns, especially during the annual festivities to the Virgin.

In the 19th century there was a hospice that was closed down for years and functioned as soldiers' barracks, perhaps speaking to the close ties between Church and state. Below left is an image of the old 19th c. Sanctuary and hospice before they were demolished to build the new structures in the 1920s.

OF INTEREST

Monastic Doors Open to Travelers (NY Times article)