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The Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba announced this Easter that the upper stained glass windows of the Shrine of the Virgin of Charity of Copper have been reinstalled, less than five months after Hurricane Melissa destroyed them in October 2025.
"Today we can say that Easter gave us a gift", wrote the Archdiocese on its social media, announcing that stained glass artists from Camagüey returned to the temple "with their art to properly install the upper stained glass windows of the temple."
The individuals responsible for the work are David and Damián Sánchez Prieto, from the Estudio-Taller Daluz in Camagüey, who carried out the restoration under very difficult conditions.
"The hard, tough, and difficult work with limited hours of electrical service. Challenging for transportation," acknowledged the Archdiocese, which congratulated these teachers for their dedication in the face of adversity.
The hurricane Melissa, a category three storm with winds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour, struck the eastern part of Cuba on October 29, 2025 and caused damage to over 80% of the stained glass windows in the sanctuary.
The greatest impact was focused on the Casa de la Madre, whose stained glass and carpentry had been completely restored just before the cyclone hit.
"After Hurricane Melissa passed through the Eastern region of Cuba, the view of the Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Caridad in El Cobre was truly sad," described the Archdiocese.
In addition to the stained glass, the hurricane knocked down a marble angel that guarded the back entrance of the temple and caused structural damage with damp walls and broken windows.
The recovery of the sanctuary has been a gradual process involving multiple stakeholders both inside and outside of Cuba.
In February 2026, the Office of the Historian of Havana and the sculptor José Duverger Aliaga completed the restoration of the marble angel toppled by the hurricane.
That same month, young people from the Escuela Taller de Santiago de Cuba repaired the roof of the second floor, and in March the lighting of the access staircase to the temple was restored.
The Daluz Studio-Workshop already had experience in this sanctuary: in March 2025, it had completed the restoration of two stained glass windows destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, thanks to donations from devoted Cubans living in the United States.
"Once again, it was time to rise up with courage and start anew. Many generous hands reached out once more, both inside and outside of Cuba," the Archdiocese noted.
The Archdiocese of Miami also provided humanitarian aid for food and for the restoration of the sanctuary following the passage of Melissa.
The main pilgrimage center in Cuba, inaugurated on September 8, 1927 and elevated to Minor Basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1977, welcomes over 500 daily visitors under normal conditions.
The lower stained glass windows of the temple, which are being restored by professionals from the Office of the Historian of Havana remain pending.
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