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The maintenance construction brigade of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba successfully disassembled and secured a valuable image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, carved in Carrara marble, which was in danger of falling at the entrance of the Church of Our Lady of the Forsaken, on San Fernando Street, in the area known as the "hill of the Forsaken."
The operation, described by the Archdiocese as "a labor of love," was marked by moments of high tension.
Nobody had calculated the enormous weight of the marble sculpture, which forced a last-minute change in the planned strategy.
According to Mercedes Ferrera Angelo in the official publication of the Archdiocese: "There were moments of tension, also of uproar because everyone wanted to give their opinion and make an emergency plan."
The risk situation originated after the passage of Hurricane Melissa in October 2025, which caused the partial collapse of the wall of the church facing Virgen Street.
The artist Rubén Ajá Garí had publicly warned days before the operation: "The image of the Virgin is in danger, about to fall into the void, after the collapse of the wall caused by Hurricane Melissa, its base and foundation became hollow, sitting precariously at a height of more than 10 meters, separating it from Virgen Street in the El Tivoli neighborhood."
Ajá Garí described the piece as "an important symbol of the city" and urged his followers to raise awareness of the situation in order to prevent its loss, a call that helped mobilize the community's attention towards the danger threatening the sculpture.
During Tuesday's operation, the brigade members were insufficient to move the heavy marble statue.
Neighbors of the neighborhood, mobilized by Alexander Pi, came to the rescue.
"Back to calm, with the help of some neighbors, because the men from the brigade turned out to be few, the strategy was changed and ultimately the objective was achieved: to move the image," wrote Ferrera Angelo.
The sculpture was moved to the Seminary Library, a nearby location at a similar ground level, with minimal damages.
The image has a significant heritage origin for Santiago de Cuba. It originally belonged to the Convent of San José de las Siervas de María, located on San Jerónimo Street, opposite the Archdiocese, a building that today houses the Faculty of Stomatology.
It was commissioned and funded with donations from families from Santiago, and after being rescued from its original location, it was installed at the entrance of the Church of Los Desamparados, where its whiteness contrasts with the blue of the Santiago bay.
The episode is set against the extensive trail of destruction left by Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall on October 29, 2025, as a Category Three hurricane, with winds of up to 195 km/h, along the southern coast of Santiago de Cuba, near Chivirico.
The and caused massive damage to the region's religious heritage.
The Shrine of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre suffered the destruction of over 80% of its stained glass windows and the fall of a marble angel statue, which was restored around February 2026 by sculptor José Duverger Aliaga.
The Archdiocese announced that the image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary will return to its place as soon as the new pedestal is ready.
"In the coming days, once the new pedestal is finished, the image will once again be raised high to welcome all who approach, listen to their pleas and prayers, receive the flowers they offer, and show its loving heart to all its children," concluded Ferrera Angelo.
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