Shrine of the Virgin of the Cloud, Catholic shrine in Azogues, Ecuador.

The Shrine of the Virgin of the Cloud is a stone sanctuary located on Abuga hill in Azogues. Inside, a high altar features intricate wood carvings decorated with gold leaf and houses the central statue of the Virgin that pilgrims come to see.

The sanctuary was built gradually using stone extracted from the surrounding Abuga hill, with construction spanning several decades of the 20th century. An earthquake in the 1970s caused structural damage to supporting walls, prompting major restoration work.

The image venerated here was carved in 1899 by the Cuenca artist Daniel Alvarado Bermeo. The Franciscan community created Coros de la Virgen, groups of 30 families each; by 1927 there were 21 such choirs. The feast is celebrated on 1 January, when about 40,000 pilgrims join the procession through the main streets.

The sanctuary stands in the eastern part of Azogues, on the city's highest ground, reached by stone stairways cut from Abuga hill. Pilgrims arrive in large numbers for the 1 January feast and the 31 May procession, when about 40,000 faithful come from across Ecuador and abroad. A separate path climbs Abuga hill past images of the Stations of the Passion, placed on the right side for praying the rosary.

The 25-metre Monument to Our Lady of the Cloud on Cerro Abuga, inaugurated by the Franciscans in September 2010, weighs 350 tonnes and is clad in more than 500 aluminium panels; the project cost over one million dollars. Stations of the Passion line the path up the hill for those praying the rosary.