Regla - Nuestra Senora de la Virgen de Regla Attractions

Regla is one of the old towns on the shore opposite Habana Vieja, now an industrial port town. This town is unique because of its Afro-Cuban heritage, which developed when freed slaves settled here in the 19th Century. One of the primary attractions in Regla is the Nuestra Senora de la Virgen de Regla. This church contains La Santisima Virgen de Regla, a statue of a black Madonna, (a copy of the original) which carries a legend. As the story goes the statue was carved in the 5th Century and while in transit across the Strait of Gibraltar was involved in a storm but miraculously survived. Consequently the Virgen de Regla is the patron saint of fishermen and also of Havana. As a result, the Nuestra Senora de la Virgen de Regla is an important church in the area.

La Santisima Virgen de Regla is the focus of a pilgrimage here on September 7, when the image is carried in a procession.