Higüey Basilica

About this place

Higüey Basilica, or the Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia, is a huge concrete church in the centre of Higüey in the eastern Dominican Republic, one of the most visited shrines in Latin America. Its tall pointed arch rises over the city, making it among the strangest modern religious buildings in the Caribbean and well worth a stop on the way to Punta Cana. Its design was chosen in 1949 from an international competition won by the French architects André-Jacques Dunoyer de Segonzac and Pierre Dupré. Work began in 1954 and took 17 years. President Joaquín Balaguer inaugurated it on 21 January 1971, and Pope Paul VI declared it a minor basilica that year. Pope John Paul II came in 1992, and it replaced a shrine dating from 1572. The church follows a Latin cross plan, and its long arches stand for the figure of the Virgin with her hands in prayer. The front shows a triangular blue window and a red door below the arch, with a main door of bronze plated in 24-carat gold and carved panels. The tower holds 45 bells, and a cross on top was restored in 2014 after Hurricane David tore it down. It is 37 km in a straight line from Punta Cana. Pilgrims come especially on 21 January, the feast of Our Lady of Altagracia, when crowds are big. This is a place of worship, so dress modestly, stay quiet and ask before taking pictures inside. The square is wide and exposed, so bring a hat and water, and keep your things safe in crowds.