⛪ Las Lajas Sanctuary
Colombia
About This Sacred Site
Las Lajas Sanctuary is a basilica church built inside the canyon of the Guáitara River near Ipiales in southern Colombia. The current Gothic Revival structure, completed in 1949, spans the gorge on a 50-meter bridge and is built directly against the cliff face around a naturally occurring image of the Virgin Mary on the rock. According to tradition, the image was discovered by a deaf-mute girl named Rosa in 1754, who miraculously began to speak. The sanctuary draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually.
Key Facts
- •Built spanning a 100-meter-deep gorge over the Guáitara River
- •The current Gothic Revival church was built between 1916 and 1949
- •The miraculous image of the Virgin is painted or embedded directly on the canyon rock face
- •Legend says a deaf-mute indigenous girl named Rosa regained her speech before the image in 1754
- •Thousands of votive plaques from grateful pilgrims line the path to the sanctuary
Location
Coordinates: 0.8048, -77.5848
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