Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Coromoto

The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Coromoto is the main church of Guanare, facing the central plaza. An 18th-century colonial structure with a later facade, it serves the city's Catholic community and receives a steady flow of pilgrims visiting the spiritual capital of Venezuela. The interior contains altarpieces and religious art spanning several centuries, and the atmosphere on religious feast days is intense.

The cathedral is distinct from the National Sanctuary, which is located about 55 kilometres from Guanare on the road to Agua Blanca. The sanctuary was consecrated by Pope John Paul II during his 1996 visit to Venezuela and is a large modern basilica built specifically to house the apparition site and the relic of the Virgin. Buses run from Guanare to the sanctuary, particularly on feast days when pilgrim traffic is heavy.

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A story
The apparition of the Virgin of Coromoto occurred in 1652, when the Virgin is said to have appeared to the chief of the Cospes people, Coromoto, urging him and his people to accept baptism. Coromoto initially converted but later fled the Spanish missionaries; the Virgin appeared to him a second time and left behind a tiny image of herself — a relic about the size of a thumb — which is now kept in the National Sanctuary and is carried in procession on important feast days.