The official religion of the Dominican Republic is the Catholic, since more than 50% of the Dominican population belongs to this religion. This is followed by evangelical Christians and then atheists. But also having religious freedom will find Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc.

The Dominican Republic has two main Marian advocations: the Virgin of Las Mercedes, proclaimed in the 17th century as Patroness of the Island of Hispaniola (and, therefore, of the Dominican Republic; and the Virgin of Altagracia, proclaimed as Spiritual Protector of the Dominican people.

The Virgin of Altagracia is considered the main virgin of the Dominican Republic. January 21 is a non-working day, a national and religious holiday in the entire territory of the country to be celebrated on the day of its patron. Its headquarters is the city of Higüey and in honor of it its province is called "La Altagracia".

On your visit to the Dominican Republic, you cannot miss the town of Higüey and the emblematic city of Santo Domingo, so you can discover with family and friends about our beliefs, history, culture, the friendliness of its people and the places more relevant in the area.

Vacaciones Barceló , offers tourists a visit to Santo Domingo and Higüey; where we will show you two places icons of the Dominican Catholic religion, such as: The Basilica of Higüey and the Primada Cathedral of America.

Basilica of Higüey:

The Basilica of Higüey is an emblematic monument of Dominican Catholicism of official name Basilica Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia; It is one of the busiest sanctuaries in the Caribbean, where thousands of pilgrims travel to Higüey to offer tributes to the virgin and cry out for her miracles.

Apart from the visit to the Basilica, on our excursion to the town of Higüey you can enjoy a walk through the main streets and observe the day-to-day activity in the city: Coffee shops, shoeshines, fruit stands, local shops and craft markets. Also, you will have the opportunity to visit the church of San Dionisio, which was built over 500 years ago.

Primada Cathedral of America:

The first cathedral of the Americas, known as Holy Basilica Cathedral Church Our Lady of the Incarnation or Annunciation, Primacy of America, erected in all its splendor in the heart of the Colonial City. A 500-year-old Gothic-style building is known as the most important place for official ceremonies and religious celebrations in the Dominican Republic. In this beautiful building you can see the ornate Gothic ceiling of the cathedral, oil paintings of the colonial era, rooms of sacred chapels, as well as an area with gravestones with remains of archbishops.

On our excursion to Santo Domingo, in addition to visiting the symbolic Cathedral Primada de América, you can also visit the most important historical monuments of Santo Domingo and of course have a panoramic view of the modern city, shop in local markets and tour the historic city in a chu chu train that highlights places full of history, which today are intact.

For believers and lovers of Dominican culture, these excursion options will be perfect to enrich knowledge with our history and see how a people keep their religious beliefs alive over the years.

For reservations please go to the following link:

https://www.vacacionesbarcelo.com/es/actividad/republica-dominicana/punta-cana/santo-domingo-bus