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THE STANDARD GUIDE. 
HERMITAGE OF MONTSERRATE. 
Virgin. The Monastery is one of the most popular shrines of Christendom; 
in some years, cn the occasion of the annual festival of September 8, 
60,000 pilgrims have resorted to it. The same day is observed in Cuba 
with pilgrimages to this Matanzas church. Here, as in Spain, many 
miracles have been ascribed to Our Lady of Montserrate; and in the 
church are numerous votive offerings given in fulfillment of vows. Among 
them are the elaborate shell work flower pieces which decorate the altar; 
the diamond ear-drops, necklace and crucifix worn by the image of Our 
Lad}''; the crude paintings of a railroad wreck and model of hand and 
sling; crutches, a bride’s orange blossoms, and numerous other articles, 
each with its story of distress, of appeal to the Virgin, and of gratitude 
for her intercession. 
The caves of Bellamar in a hill southeast of the city are reached by a 
drive through Pueblo Nuevo, and along the shore of the bay on the avenue 
called La Playa. The sandy beach is used for bathing, and is protected 
by iron gratings from the sharks. The Playa is lined with handsome 
villas which formerly were the homes of officers of the Spanish Army. 
The road climbs the hill over a country which is extremely rough, the 
surface of the ground being covered with masses of jagged coral rock 
called dientes de perro, or “dog’s teeth.” The formation is perforated 
with round holes traversing the rock in every direction, the whole looking 
like some thick paste that has suddenly petrified while in a state of 
