La Basílica, Cartago - Probably the most famous church in Costa Rica is La Basílica in the city of Cartago.  It was originally built in the mid 17th century on the spot where a stone statue of the Virgin Mary was found and then subsequently reappeared after it was removed.  Every 2 August thousands of pilgrims travel to La Basílica from all over Costa Rica to worship a replica of this statue, called La Negrita.  The original Basílica was destroyed by an earthquake in 1926 and rebuilt in the Byzantine form that can be seen today. .

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