El Valle del Espíritu Santo is a village near

Porlamar ) Pueblo de La Mar ( en, Village by the Sea) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Panoramic , image_flag = Bandera santiagomarino.jpg , image_seal = , pushpin_map =Venezuela , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivis ...

, in the

Nueva Esparta The Nueva Esparta State (in Spanish: ''Estado Nueva Esparta'', ), is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It comprises Margarita Island, Coche, and the largely uninhabited Cubagua. The state has the smallest area, and is located off the nort ...

state of

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. Founded as the capital of the island in 1529, El Valle del Espíritu Santo is just north of Porlamar. It is the birth town of

Santiago Mariño Santiago Mariño Carige Fitzgerald (25 July 1788 in Valle Espíritu Santo, Margarita – 4 September 1854 in La Victoria, Aragua), was a nineteenth-century Venezuelan revolutionary leader and hero in the Venezuelan War of Independence (1811– ...

and his sister,

Concepción Mariño Concepción Mariño Carige Fitzgerald (1790–1854) was a heroine of the Venezuelan War of Independence. Biography Born in El Valle del Espíritu Santo, Mariño was raised in a wealthy family. She was the daughter of Santiago Mariño de Acu� ...

, as well as where the patron of the island, the Virgin of El Valle appeared. The village has a pink-and-white church honoring the Virgin of El Valle. Visitors go to the village all year-round, but especially on her feast day in early September.

The Virgin of El Valle Church

The basilica of Our Lady of El Valle is a building with two main towers. On the inside, it is very well illuminated. The figure of the virgin is in the altar, venerated by all the locals and all the fishers from the country, because she is their patron. The windows are simple and bright. The Diocesan Museum is located next to the church.

Santiago Mariño Museum

The Santiago Mariño Museum is located in front of the church. This is the town were Santiago Mariño, one of the independence heroes, was born. The museum is simple, but interesting. The construction is a typical colonial house with an internal garden. In the rooms, there are many paintings and furniture from the independence years. The museum is only open in the morning.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:El Valle del Espiritu Santo Populated places established in 1529 Populated places in Nueva Esparta Margarita Island