The Legend of Las Lajas Cathedral

Las Lajas Cathedral, also known as 'Las Lajas Sanctuary' is a Roman Catholic basilica located in the Colombian department of Narino, Ipiales municipality, in southwestern Colombia. The Cathedral is built inside the Canyon of Guaitara River and is the most beautiful church in Colombia and among the finest architectural monuments in the world. The cathedral is a result of the revival of Gothic architecture, and was built between January 1, 1916 and August 20, 1949 with the donations made by the locals. This imposing cathedral replaces an older chapel, dating from the nineteenth century.

The name of the cathedral - 'Las Lajas' - comes from the name of a sedimentary rock that was used to pave the entire building, a rock collected from the Andes Mountains. Among the locals there is a legend that says that on this sedimentary rock appeared the image of the Virgin Mary. The legend of the cathedral’s construction starts in 1754 when the American Maria Mueces and her deaf-mute daughter, Rosa, were caught by a strong storm right when passing through this canyon. According to other testimonies, the woman was Indian. The two women have found escape from the giant cliffs of the canyon, right in the site where the cathedral is today. To her mother’s inexpressible surprise, Rose spoke, saying: “Mestiza is my name” pointing to the representation on the sedimentary rock. It was the image of the Virgin Mary impregnated on the stone. This record is found in the strange travel diary of Brother Juan de Santa Gertrudis, when he visited all the special places in the New Kingdom of Granada, between 1756 and 1762.

Las Lajas Cathedral is one of the most visited and beloved places of the Roman Catholic Christian tourists. In 1951, the Roman Catholic Church has authorized the functioning of this great cathedral, called 'Las Lajas our Mother,' and in 1954 she was elevated to small basilica.