Visitors to Colombia are told: Don't leave without seeing the Santuario de las Lajas. For good reason. This gothic, fairy-tale looking cathedral is built on the site where images of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child were found in a rock cave. The church was created around the images, which hang high above the altar. The original chapel dates from 1803, but this spectacular church, designed by Nariño architect Lucindo Espinoza, was built between 1926 and 1944 on a stone bridge spanning the deep river gorge.

The Santuario de las Lajas is in the small town of Ipiales, on the border with Ecuador. Discover more about tourism, attractions and sightseeing in the Andes / Cordillera Region of Colombia.

Photo displayed with the kind permission of ©2006 Ron Miller, All Rights Reserved http://www.RonTravel.com Ron Miller is the author of Escape From The Happy Cannibal

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