La Milagrosa (The Miraculous)

Cementerio de Colon is a behemoth and monochromatic city of earthly remains in central Havana. For all of its marble and granite excesses it is typically devoid of color, except for one location. And there, at the final resting place of Amelia Goyri de Adot and her husband, Eduardo Adot y Lopez, a colorful moat of flowers tightly surrounds their graves.

There are as many stories as deceased in this 56 hectare cemetery, but perhaps none more widely known, or believed, as that of La Milagrosa – The Miraculous.

According to legend, Senora Goyri was pregnant at the time of her death just after the turn of the 20th century and she, along with the unborn child in her womb, were laid to rest. When her beloved Eduardo died in 1914, the crypt was prepared and for whatever reason her casket was opened. And behold, in her long-still arms she was holding their lifeless child.

Word spread rapidly across the island. And to this day, some parents who cannot conceive and those with sick children come here to pray for intervention. When they receive their “miracle”, they return to say “thank you” with flowers.

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