Las Lajas Sanctuary

About this place

Las Lajas Sanctuary is a neo-Gothic Catholic church built on a bridge across the canyon of the Guáitara River, near the city of Ipiales in southern Colombia. Pilgrims come from Colombia and neighbouring Ecuador, and it has one of the most unusual settings of any church in the world, seeming to hang between the canyon walls. Religious tradition tells that a woman named María Mueses and her deaf-mute daughter Rosa sheltered from a storm among the rocks around 1754, and that the girl saw a glowing figure. Pilgrimage to the spot began with that story. A shrine of straw and wood came first, then a brick chapel in the 1790s and a larger building. The present church was built from 1916 to 1949 with local donations, to a design by the architect Lucindo Espinosa. The church rises 100 metres from the canyon floor and joins the far side by a bridge 50 metres high. You walk down a long path with its fine grey towers in view among the green, and the river runs under the arches. A thin waterfall drops down the opposite wall. The best view is from above before you descend, or from the cable car that crosses the canyon. The sanctuary is 7.1 km in a straight line south-east of central Ipiales and 56.6 km south-west of Pasto. It is a place of worship, so dress modestly and keep quiet during Mass. The area is close to the Ecuador border, so check your government's advice before you travel, and bring a jacket as it is often cold.