Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia, Higüey

The most important pilgrimage church in the Dominican Republic, 45 minutes inland

The Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia in Higüey is the most visited church in the Dominican Republic and one of the major pilgrimage sites in the Caribbean. The original 15th-century chapel on the site was built by Columbus's followers; the spectacular modern basilica alongside it dates from 1971 and is a genuinely impressive piece of mid-century architecture — a reinforced concrete parabolic arch rising 75 metres, with stunning blue stained glass in the interior.

Higüey is 45 minutes northwest of Punta Cana — an easy half-day excursion that gets you well away from the resort zone and into real Dominican life. The streets around the basilica fill with vendors, pilgrims, and ordinary commerce. The Saturday market nearby is worth wandering if you time it right.

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The modern basilica was designed by French architects André-Jacques Dunoyer de Segonzac and Pierre Dupré in the 1950s and built in the shape of a giant parabolic arch — the first of its kind in the Caribbean. On January 21st each year, over a million pilgrims arrive for the Feast of the Virgin of Altagracia, the country's patron saint.