Ecclesiastical Records

La Habana Province

About Havana Churches

As of March 2023, we have 21 churches represented in this section. Please also see our Havana Vieja Churches Page.
PLEASE NOTE: The files represented are NOT the complete holdings of these churches, only what we have been able to acquire.
We are very grateful to our members for their generosity and willingness to share their valuable information with us!
IMPORTANT: Please contact, and credit, the CGC prior to using any part of this page by sending an email to secretary@cubangenclub.org

About Havana Province

The Province of La Habana was created in 1878 and is one of the 6 historical provinces in which the island was divided, still under Spanish colonial rule.
La Habana Province, formerly known as Ciudad de La Habana Province, is a province of Cuba that includes the territory of the city of Havana, the Republic’s capital. Between 1878 and 2010, the name referred to another province that covered a much larger area, and was subdivided into the present-day provinces of Artemisa (which also took over three municipalities from Pinar del Río) and Mayabeque.
Before 1961, Havana was the official name only of the central municipality of an area that included at least 6 municipalities: Havana, Marianao, Regla, Guanabacoa, Santiago de las Vegas and Santa María del Rosario-Cotorro. Currently, the territory that occupies the old municipality of Havana (former Villa of San Cristóbal de La Habana) is divided into 6 municipalities (Plaza de la Revolución, La Habana Vieja, Centro Habana, Diez de Octubre, Cerro, Arroyo Naranjo), and Boyeros (Altahabana). The city, as it is conceived at the present time, includes all the provincial territory and also includes the territories of 9 municipalities that were not part of old Havana municipality, which are: Playa, Marianao, La Lisa, Guanabacoa, Regla, Habana del Este, San Miguel del Padrón, Cotorro and Boyeros.

Cuban Church Records and Archives

A presentation on Cuban Church Records and Archives given by Fr. Juan Luis Sanchez on July 14, 2008 is offered here for dissemination with his permission.

A recording of this presentation is available for members on the Members Only-Videos Page

Alphabetical Index Supplement for the Provinces of Habana, Las Villas and Pinar del Rio, Cuba
Source:  REVISTA (the quarterly publication of the Cuban Genealogical Society)
An alphabetical index of all the transcriptions from the various parishes of La Habana, Guanabacoa, Cienfuegos, Las Villas, and San Matias de Rio Blanco in Pinar del Rio that was published in REVISTA from 2000 to 2007. This index supplements the previous indices for the provinces of Habana and Las Villas that were published in 1995. In addition, it has the Province of Pinar del Rio, which did not have an index published previously. The first few pages explain how to read the entries in the index.
All of the REVISTA editions are available on CubaGenWeb.

Another Resource

Slave Societies Digital Archive at Vanderbilt University

The Slave Societies Digital Archive (SSDA), directed by Jane Landers at Vanderbilt University, was launched in 2003. It is dedicated to identifying, cataloging, and digitally preserving endangered archival materials documenting the history of Africans and their descendants in the Atlantic World.
Slave Societies teams digitally captured ecclesiastical records of more than 750,000 individuals during almost three years of intensive work in Cuba and Brazil. Beginning in 2007, another grant allowed the group to preserve additional records at new project locations in Brazil, Colombia, and Cuba.

Jesus del Monte Church in Havana, Cuba

The following files were donated by Mariela Fernandez from her collection.

Señor del Santo Calvario Church in Havana, Cuba

The following were donated by Mariela Fernandez from her collection.

Nuestra Señora de Monserrat Church in Havana, Cuba

Nuestra Señora de Montserrat Church is located on Galiano street on the corner of Concordia, in Havana.
In 1675 the Monserrate hermitage was built in the square of this name where it remained until 1836 when it was destroyed and moved outside the walls. It was declared a parish in 1844.
 
The following document was donated by Thomas Santa Cruz from his collection.

San Judas & San Nicolas Church in Havana, Cuba

The church is located at Calle San Nicolás # 830, Habana Vieja, C. Habana.

The following documents were donated by Sonia Jones (born Hernandez Gonzalez) from her collection.

Santa Maria del Rosario Church in Santa Maria del Rosario, Cuba

Nuestra Señora del Rosario is in the city of Santa Maria del Rosario approximately 5 miles from Havana, Cuba, in the present municipality of Cotorro. It is located on Calle 21, between 31 and 33. It was declared a National Monument in 1946.

Church Documents

Documents from Members

The following documents were donated by Sonia Jones (born Hernandez Gonzalez) from her collection.

Nuestra Señora de la Asunción Church in Guanabacoa, Cuba

The church is located at Division between Marti and Cadenas in Guanabacoa, Cuba.

The following documents were donated by Alberto Martinez-Ramos from his collection.
The following documents were donated by Sonia Jones (born Hernandez Gonzalez) from her collection.

Nuestra Señora del Rosario & San Luis Rey de Francia Church in Guatao, Cuba

The church was built in 1765 as an auxiliary of the parish in El Cano.
The church is located on Calle 44 e/ 279 and 279a in Guatao, Cuba.
 
The following document was donated by Martha Ibañez Zervoudakis from her collection.

Nuestra Señora de Regla Church in Havana, Cuba

Originally established in 1690 as the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Regla but was officially founded in 1765. 

Church Documents on SSDA

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe & San Francisco Javier Church in Havana, Cuba

 

Its origin is shared with two eighteenth-century chapels were erected on land outside the walls under the pastoral care of Bishop Lazo de la Vega: the Christ of Health and Guadalupe, the latter built of wood and thatched in 1716 , and rebuilt and enlarged by Bishop in 1738, designating the Greater Parish Assistant on December 24, 1739, under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe and San Francisco Javier. The chapel was located in the alley between the alley Suspiro and Aguila Street.

Church Documents

Santo Cristo del Potosi Church in Guanabacoa, Cuba

“The famous shrine of Our Lord Jesus Nazarene of Potosi, which is now the parish church of San Miguel del Padron, was before the year 1644, a chapel belonging to the mayorgazo of Captain Anton Recio, called at the time of Potosi, because it was founded on a hill. Don Martin Salcedo y Oquendo and his wife Juana Recio, dedicated it to the Lord and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, and provided for silver, jewels, vestments and a chaplaincy of three thousand dollars so that Mass could be said every Sunday
and holidays.” **

San Miguel del Padron Church is located at Bernardo Posse # 20323 e/ Calzada de Güines y 3ª, Rpto. La Rosalia, San Miguel del Padrón, C. Habana.

These files were transcribed from a microfilmed copy found by one of our members. This church was closed and the books are now in San Miguel del Padron Church, La Habana.

** Los Primeros Tres Historiadores de la Isla de Cuba, Tomo I, Dr. Rafael Cowley & D. Andres Pego, Editors

Church Documents

San Miguel del Padron Church in San Miguel del Padron, Cuba

One of the oldest buildings in current San Miguel del Padrón. It has undergone many transformations, but its first location was in the hamlet that was to the south of the bay of Havana. It took its name from the “Ingenio San Miguel” and from the chapel with the invocation to the saint of the same name, although it hasn’t been determined at what moment it began to be called “del Padrón”.

San Miguel del Padron Church is located at Bernardo Posse # 20323 e/ Calzada de Güines y 3ª, Rpto. La Rosalia, San Miguel del Padrón, C. Habana.

Church Documents

San Pedro Apostol & La Madre del Divino Pastor Church in Batabano, Cuba

These indices were donated by Andres Echazabal from his collection.

Church Documents

San Felipe & Santiago Church in Bejucal, Cuba

San Felipe y Santiago de Bejucal was founded on May 9, 1714. Prior to the building of the church there was a chapel of wood and guano. The present church was consecrated on Easter Day of 1772. A contemporary document describes it: “The building consists of a nave, two half chapels with a baptistery, sacristy, ten altars and a tower of irregular architecture.”

These indices were donated by Andres Echazabal from his collection.

NOTE: Books numbers 1, 2 and 4 are in very poor condition and as such could not be transcribed.

Church Documents

San Julian de los Güines Church in Güines, Cuba

The city of San Francisco Javier and San Julián de los Güines, or simply Güines, is located about 34 miles south of Havana on the banks of the Mayabeque River. It was founded in 1735 next to its church of San Julián. As of January 1, 2011, it belongs to the new Province of Mayabeque. The church is located at C.P. 33900, La Habana.

The following document was donated by Alberto Martinez-Ramos from his collection.
The following documents were donated by Sonia Jones (born Hernandez Gonzalez) from her collection.

San Geronimo Church in Puentes Grandes, Cuba

The church is located at Calzada Real de Puentes Grandes # 25 in Puentes Grandes, Cuba.

Church Documents on SSDA

San Antonio Abad Church in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba

A small chapel was built in 1784. It was assigned as an auxiliary to El Cano in 1785.
The church is located on Calle 66 e/ 41 and 43 in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba.
 
The following documents were donated by Martha Ibañez Zervoudakis from her collection.

Nuestra Señora de la Paz Church in Nueva Paz, Cuba

In the year 1688 there was a hermitage that was rebuilt by the Count of Mompox and Jaruco in the years 1805 and 1810. The hurricane of 1870 almost destroyed the church, which was rebuilt in 1883 and is what still exists today.
 
The following documents were donated by Alberto Martinez-Ramos from his collection.

San Pedro Apostol Church in Quivican, Cuba

According to the records of the Archbishopric of Havana, in 1667, Bishop Juan de Santos Matías erected a parish of San Pedro Apóstol de Quivicán, a poor hermitage of wood and guano that existed at that time. In 1759 it becomes a parish. Its cornerstone was placed on March 8, 1842 and was completed on December 25th of that same year. 
 
The following document was donated by Alberto Martinez-Ramos from his collection.

San Jose de las Lajas Church in San Jose de las Lajas, Cuba

San José de las Lajas is a municipality and the capital city of the newly formed Mayabeque Province of Cuba, after the segmentation of La Habana Province in 2011. It was founded in 1778. The church is located off of Maceo 54 by Camilo Cienfuegos Park.
 
These documents were kindly donated by Samuel Martinez Alcalá from his collection. 

Santo Cristo de La Salud Church in La Salud, Cuba

These indices were kindly donated by Andres Echazabal from his personal research.
Note: Books 2 and 3 (which cover 1809 to 1839) are not included as they are missing from the archives themselves.

Church Documents

Nuestra Señora del Rosario Church in Pipian, Cuba

The following documents were donated by Alberto Martinez-Ramos from his private collection.
The following documents were donated by Sonia Jones (born Hernandez Gonzalez) from her collection.