Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana

The Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana is a 17th-century Spanish colonial shrine that houses the image of the Virgen de Copacabana. It is located in the town of Copacabana, Bolivia on the shores of Lake Titicaca near the Altiplano region. Our Lady of Copacabana is the patron saint of Bolivia.

History
Around 1576, indigenous sculptor Francisco Tito Yupanqui carved an image of Nuestra Senora de Virgen de la Candelaria. It was brought to Copacabana, as the statue of the tutelar protectress of the community. Soon miracles were attributed to the intercession of the Virgen de Copacabana. An adobe shrine constructed about 1583. The shrine was constructed at the foot of a small, steep, hill in a location formerly known as the Temple of the Sun--an area sacred to the Inca--it remains as one of two principle sacred places to both the indigenous peoples and Catholics alike; the other location being the Virgin of Urkupiña near Cochabamba, Bolivia. In 1589, friars of the Order of Saint Augustine were entrusted with the management of the shrine, establishing a monastery and maintaining a detailed record of the Virgin's miracles.

The Augustinians built their first chapel between the 1614 and 1618. The current building was built between 1669 and 1679 by the Spanish architect Francisco Jiménez de Siguenza replacing the former church. It was officially elevated to the rank of Basilica in 1940.

Cerro El Calvario


The hilltop overlooking Lake Titicaca was rededicated as a "calvario" or replica of Calvary and is topped by the Stations of the Seven Sorrows of Mary and an altar with a depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus. It is a major centre of worship throughout the region during Holy Week, especially on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

April 2013 Robbery
In the early hours of Monday, 22 April 2013, the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana was robbed and the image of the Virgen de Copacabana was stripped of her gold and silver accessories. Initial reports indicate that twenty-eight items, including the sculpture of the baby Jesus, were removed from the Virgen de Copacabana by thieves who entered the building using a ladder stolen from a nearby telecommunications station.