Las Lajas: A striking Neo-Gothic church deep in the Andes

29 Oct 2015 9:43 AM IST

Set deep in the Andes mountain range in Colombia is a spectacular church called Our Lady of the Rosary of Las Lajas.
The Mestiza (a person of combined European and Amerindian descent in Spanish) was soon viewed as an apparition of the Virgin Mary, making this a popular pilgrimage site.
The two were caught in a strong storm and took refuge between the gigantic Lajas (a kind of rock) when the daughter miraculously exclaimed “the Mestiza is calling me” and pointed to the lightning-illuminated silhouette over the laja.
The inspiration for the church came from an interesting story involving Amerindian (Indigenous peoples of the Americas) Maria Mueces and her deaf-mute daughter Rosa.
A shot of the interior of the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Las Lajas in Colombia.
Pilgrims visit the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Las Lajas in Colombia
The shrine is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary of Las Lajas since 1754.
Another view of the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Las Lajas in Ipiales
The basilica is located at Ipiales, 1070 km south of Bogota, on the border with Ecuador. A pilgrim wets her hair with holy water at the sanctuary.

Set deep in the Andes mountain range in Colombia is a spectacular church called Our Lady of the Rosary of Las Lajas.