Visitors to Punta Cana and La Romana have a new reason to stop by the Basilica La Altagracia, the largest church in the Dominican Republic. A new museum on the premises of the church showcases valuable donations made by Virgin Mary believes in religious art, wax, wood and jewelry.
The museum will be around half an hour away from most Punta Cana hotels and easily accessible once the new Coral Highway goes into operation this summer.
The museum has six exhibition halls, an auditorium, an audiovisual hall, a laboratory and a mirador overlooking the Basilica. Among the exhibits is one of 16 medallions in oval format tell about life in the times of the Spanish colony.
Dominican museum specialist Margarita Gonzalez worked closely with Argentinean museum specialist Sergio Barbieri to prepare the exhibits.
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Tickets are RD$200 adults, and children RD$50.
Monsignor Nicanor Pena Rodriguez, Bishop of Higuey, says the museum is a collection of testimony of the Catholic history and artistical-cultural expressions of the Dominican people in their devotion to the Virgin Mary. “It is not a warehouse for innate objects, but rather a greenhouse that transmits throughout time the genius and spirituality of the community of believers,” he said during the inaugural last week with the attendance of President Leonel Fernandez.
The museum was funded 70% by the Dominican government and 30% by the private sector and the Catholic Church. The museum is located on the grounds of the Basilica and cost RD$200 million.