San Lazaro is more than just a figure in religious texts. Revered globally, but especially in Cuba, this saint holds deep spiritual significance for many. Whether you know him from biblical accounts or his syncretized figure in Afro-Cuban religions, here are 10 incredible facts about San Lazaro that are sure to amaze you.
1. San Lazaro’s Dual Identity
San Lazaro is now popularly known as two different identities. One stems from the Bible, where Lazarus was a friend of Jesus, raised from the dead after four days. The other is the beggar from a parable, suffering from sores and licked by dogs. Over the centuries, these two figures have merged in popular veneration, especially in Cuban culture, which regards them as a single individual. He is also identified with Lazarus, a saint in Cuban Santería, where he is syncretized with Babalú Ayé, the Orisha of disease and healing.
2. The Miracle Worker
It is widely known that San Lazaro had performed miracles, mostly miraculous healings. In today’s times, people mostly seek his help in skin issues, communicable diseases, and epidemics. Devotees are so reverent towards his miracle power that some come out to share their own personal stories about the divine intervention, but most of these miracles are not publicized as these are generally indoctrinated cultural tradition.
3. A Powerful Symbol in Cuba
Thousands of believers in Cuba are devoted to San Lazaro, the patron of the poor and sick. On December 17th, the faithful take a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of San Lazaro in Rincón, Havana. In this place, devotees follow up on the vows promised to the saint by walking barefoot for miles, sometimes crawling or even rolling on the ground as a profound sign of devotion.
4. The Annual Pilgrimage
San Lazaro is one of the biggest religious observances in Cuba that gathers thousands of devotees every year. The pilgrimage is now a ceremony in which people haul heavy objects that symbolize sins, such as cement jugs or crosses to prove their devotion and seek healing for themselves and others. Fall on your hands and knees, not just as a gesture but with actual tears streaming down exhausted faces, some fainting others dripping in blood.
5. Syncretism with Babalú Ayé
In the closest analogy to a Cuban patron saint, the syncretism between Catholicism and Afro-Cuban religions has heavily shaped San Lazaro’s identity. San Lazaro in Santería is synonymous with Babalú Ayé, the orisha who governs sickness and epidemics. His feast day is Dec. 17, which merges in the eyes of worshipers with the date Father Ayé is honored.
6. The Sacred Sanctuary of El Rincón
The Sanctuary of San Lazaro, at El Rincón, is one of the most sacred places for faith in Cuba. It was something like a chapel that remained open to the public all year round, though it gets particularly crowded in December for the pilgrimage. The saint is known to have performed many healing and miracles, which are testified by thousands throughout the world.
7. San Lazaro in the Afro-Cuban Tradition
Commonly worshipped in the Afro-Cuban religion is San Lazaro/Babalú Ayé. An old man, full of boils on his skin and looking with crutches is always followed by two faithful dogs. Although this brings the image far from the clean, mitre-wearing Lazarus of Roman Catholicism, it strikes a deep chord in Cuban believers familiar with that suffering and healing.
8. The Healing Waters
In the Sanctuary at El Rincón, a miraculous spring lies near the statue of San Lazaro. According to legend, the saint blessed the waters flowing from this spring, giving them the power to cure ailments. Many pilgrims, following their prayers to San Lazaro, bathe in these waters as part of their healing rituals.
9. The Significance of Purple and Jute
Purple symbolizes spirituality and penance, and people associate this color with San Lazaro. When they celebrate his feast day and during a pilgrimage, devotees wear purple. His image is that of a man in jute and with snails, emphasizing his embodiment of modesty and health.
10. The Secret of San Lazaro’s Miracles
While devotion to him is so widespread, people usually keep the miracles and favors granted by San Lazaro a secret. And so, while no devout Catholic would speak openly of the miracles that her saint has done in her life, she can do the miracle quietly on thanksgiving day with a pilgrimage or personal devotion. This, of course, adds to the air of mystery that surrounds him and his enigmatic charm.
The Bottom Line
San Lazaro is one of those saints to whom people turn in hopes of healing or feeling better. Even those who may not initially believe in him can find inspiration to have faith. His story is a testament of resilience one that weaves biblical texts with Afro-Cuban spiritual tradition and endless personal stories of miraculous interventions.
For centuries, those seeking healing and protection have turned to San Lazaro, the already mysterious figure whose connection either to Lazarus from the Bible or Babalú Ayé an Orisha of infectious diseases in Yoruba tradition remains a symbol of righteous devotion. Seeing the San Lazaro pilgrimage in Cuba shows the deep devotion his followers have for the saint.
