Balanced in the ravine of a very different ColOmbian River Gorge than the one in Oregon, one can find a sincerely stunning spectacle of god meets nature near the Colombia/Ecuador border. The Neo-Gothic Catholic church, built between 1916-1949, has a powerful legend, which led to it being built in the most dramatic setting we’ve ever seen a religious structure.
It took about 20 minutes to get there from Ipiales by collectivo (mini bus) and made the city well worth an overnight stay. The church and grounds themselves are free to visit.
According to Atlas Obscura, our favorite off-the-beaten-path discoveries app, “in 1754, an Amerindian woman and her daughter found themselves caught in a brutal storm. Hiding out from the weather in the gorge, the women felt a force calling to them, and to their amazement looked up and saw the image of the Virgin Mary on the rocks above. At that moment, the woman’s daughter was simultaneously cured of her inability to hear and speak.
“Shortly after the discovery was reported, a blind man wandered for ten years from village to village collecting donations to build a chapel around the image. When he returned to Las Lajas, he was able to see again.”
Both of those 18th-century miracles inspired the creation of Las Lajas Sanctuary to be built around the original chapel.”
The donors names are draped throughout the surrounding walls.
The intricate details up-close, which includes gorgeous stained glass.
The setting of the gorge
The main entrance
We were unable to enter the church completely because mass was happening, but loved the colorful angels. And of course the stained glass…even more remarkable from the inside.
The river 150 feet (45 meters) below.
“To co-opt the original miracle, the stone image on the cliff forms the back wall of the modern sanctuary, making a gorge-spanning bridge and church combination necessary.” (Atlas Obscura) We also had to look up what Lajas means…slabs, as in vertical stone slabs. Well, that’s an obvious and uncreative name! 😂
The contrast of architectural marvel and nature is truly magnificent.
And thanks to the design of the grounds, you can see this wonder from multiple angles.
The village near the church is charming as well and would be a lovely place to stay overnight. Apparently they light the church up every night (using the rest of their donation dollars?) If you don’t feel like walking down the gorge, or are unable, there is also a cable car that can also drop you down to the church.
The heart on the teatro is where we found the colectivos leaving from Ipiales. It was three blocks east of the main square on Calles 4&6. It cost less than $1 each way per ticket.
