Cruz de la Parra
The Cruz de la Parra (Spanish for: "Cross of the Vine") is a wooden cross that Christopher Columbus erected during his first voyage of discovery on December 1, 1492 at the location of today's city of Baracoa ( Guantánamo province ) in Cuba .
For a long time it was thought to have been lost until it was found under a vine. Today it is housed in the Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Asunción . The church is not open regularly, but can be visited by appointment with the sexton.
A replica of the cross can be seen today at the historic location that Christopher Columbus called “Puerto Santo”. It is located below the “Hotel Porto Santo” on the “Bahía de Miel”. In his logbook he later wrote: “I had a large cross erected on a pile of stones near the entrance to the port, which is protected by a headland to the southeast of its entrance. [...] I set sail with a moderate wind and left the anchorage, which I had given the name Puerto Santo. "
The Cruz de la Parra is considered to be the oldest Christian symbol in the New World . Of the 29 crosses set up by Christopher Columbus in America , this is the only one that has survived. The corners of the cross are now provided with metal fittings, as the believers pulled individual slates out of the wooden cross and venerated them as private relics .
Individual evidence
- ↑ EcuRed: Cruz de la Parra. Retrieved August 23, 2018 (Spanish).
- ^ Norbert Ficks: log book. Retrieved June 10, 2011 .
Coordinates: 20 ° 21 ′ 0 ″ N , 74 ° 29 ′ 55 ″ W.