Fodor's Expert Review Basilica de Higüey Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia

Higüey's concrete basilica was completed in 1972, and is characterized by its representations of oranges, symbolic of the nearby orange grove, where a vision of the Virgin Mary has become legend. There's a shrine depicting an orange tree and stained-glass windows with cutouts shaped like oranges inside the cathedral. The pinched arches of the facade stretch 250 feet (76 meters) high (many visitors comment that it looks like the McDonald's arch). The basilica is the site of annual pilgrimages on January 21 and August 16. If you want to go to mass, call first as the hours are subject to change. New is a museum on the grounds of the cathedral that chronicles the history of religion in the D.R. as far back as the 1700s. The cathedral is best seen on a guided tour of Higüey