The sanctuary: Cathedral of Guadeloupe
Third most famous religious place in the world after Mecca and the Vatican.
Story about an Indian Juan Diego who had a sighting of the holly mother
asking him to built a church. He went to see the bishop and was send away,
because mother Mary would certainly not appear to an Indian. Second day
the same thing happened. The Indian asked for some proof and was told
to go up a mountain and pick some roses. There were not supposed to be
any roses there because the time of the year and because they did not
grow in Mexico at that time. But the Indian came back with roses wrapped
in his blanket called tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth. When he opened
the blanket to the bishop an image had appeared by miracle on the blanket
and of course the church was built. They have erected two other churches
on the locations where the sightings took place. Now the blanket is exhibited
in a church dedicated to this saint. It can hold 10.000 people and every
day every hour there is a mass there.
