The Sanctuary of Las Lajas was built at the beginning of the 20th century, this architectural marvel is in a Gothic style of gray and white stone, it has a two-arched bridge that crosses the river and joins it with the other side of the canyon. Its location is 7 kilometers from the center of Ipiales, so to get to the Las Lajas Sanctuary from Ipiales you can do it on foot, where the journey takes approximately one hour and you will be able to appreciate the beautiful landscapes of the cannon.
You can also get to the Sanctuary by bus from the transport terminal to the sanctuary parking lot. The ticket costs $2,500 and the journey takes about 15 minutes.
How to get from Bogotá to the Las Lajas Sanctuary
You can arrive by bus from Bogotá to the Ipiales terminal, it takes approximately 22 hours and the average cost of the ticket is 140,000 Colombian pesos (it would be about 41 dollars). The first bus leaves at about 8:30 am and the last bus leaves at 9:30 pm.
How to get from Medellín to Las Lajas
To get by bus from Medellín to the Ipiales terminal, it takes approximately 18 hours and the average cost of the ticket is 120,000 Colombian pesos (it would be about 35 dollars). The first bus leaves at around 10:00 am and the last bus leaves at 10:30 pm.
How to get from Cali to Ipiales
To get to the Las Lajas Sanctuary from Cali by bus is approximately 11 hours by road and the average cost of the ticket is 70,000 Colombian pesos (it would be about 20 dollars). The first bus leaves at around 4:30 am and the last bus leaves at 11:30 pm from Cali.
How to get there from Quito
To get by bus from Quito to Ipiales, you must take a public transport bus that goes from Quito to Tulcán, the ticket value is 5 dollars and it would take 6 hours of travel. Then in Tulcán, you take a taxi to the terminal that takes you to the border for 3 dollars, and at the Rumichaca Bridge, take a taxi to the Ipiales terminal for 1 dollar.
Las Lajas Sanctuary inside
The Sanctuary of Las Lajas de Ipiales is 27 meters high but if measured up to the tower it would be 100 meters high, on the other hand, the bridge that joins it is 50 meters high, 17 meters wide, and a length of 20 meters. To descend to the Sanctuary there are a total of 262 steps to La Juana square, where the statue of Juana Mueses de Quiñones y Rosa is located.
Once you begin to descend towards the sanctuary, inside you will find the statue of María Mueses and her daughter Rosa, then you will see a series of plaques with writings that reflect the true meaning of the monument. Inside the sanctuary, you will also find several chapels and oratories.
The current building was built by the Pasto architect Lucindo Espinosa, who had an empirical apprenticeship in architecture it was 1916 the year of construction when he began with the last stage of the monument, which for him, this was not the church as such but everything around. Lucindo Espinosa also built the Passage of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Plaza de Nariño in Pasto.
At the end of the afternoon and beginning of the night, the Las Lajas Sanctuary is quite a spectacle because it is illuminated with lights of different colors that change in frequency, and in addition to illuminating the entire place, they also illuminate the sky that surrounds it.< /p>
As a fact of interest, the entire monument of the Las Lajas Sanctuary was chosen in 2015 by the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph as the most beautiful church in the world among 23 other churches from more countries.
History of the Sanctuary of Las Lajas
The sanctuary originated in 1750 because of two miracles caused by the image of a virgin. The first miracle was of a deaf-mute indigenous girl who was able to speak and the second was of a blind man, who collected money to build a chapel for the virgin, who recovered her sight.
History of the Virgin of Las Lajas
María Mueses was an indigenous woman, who went with her little daughter Rosa, who was deaf and mute, touring the Guáitara river canyon when they came from Ipiales on their way to her house in Potosí in the year 1700.
At that moment a strong storm began and they sought refuge in the flagstones (they are the huge, wide, and flat gray stones that are around the Sanctuary today) suddenly the miracle happens in which the girl says «Mommy, the mestiza calls me…» and when they looked up they saw the image of the Virgin Mary on the rocks. At that time, Rosa was simultaneously cured of her inability to hear and speak.
This event was verified by ecclesiastical authorities in 1750, who because of the miracle decided to build a straw chapel, which over the centuries and after 5 stages of construction would be what we know today.
Architecture and stages of the Sanctuary
The sanctuary as it is seen today has gone through five stages of construction since 1750 when it was decided to build the thatched chapel. Here we summarize the 5 stages:
• The first stage was when the construction of a chapel with a wooden and straw hut was arranged, which lasted 40 years.
• The second stage begins with the renovation of the chapel using brick and lime materials, with a dome-shaped finish.
• The third stage is when the construction is widened towards the southwest, achieving a daring architectural design. This new construction lasted a little over a century.
• The fourth stage begins with the construction of a square and a two-arch bridge.
• The fifth stage begins on January 1, 1916, giving resulting in the current infrastructure, which was completed in 1949.
Mass schedule
The temple has masses every day. If you want to attend one of them you can do it from Monday to Saturday at 6 am, 7 am, 9 am, 11 am and at 3 pm and 5 pm.
On Sundays the schedule of masses is longer, you can attend at 6 am, 7 am, 8 am, 9 am, 10 am, and 11 am, and in the afternoon at 12 pm, 3 pm, and 5 pm.
Cable Car
More than just an option to get there, the cable car is another attraction that you can find in Las Lajas since you will be able to admire one of the best paisas in Nariño as you cross the Guaítara river canyon. The cable car is available every day, on weekdays from 9 am to 7 pm and on weekends from 7 am to 8 pm. The price of the ticket varies if they make a single trip or both, the rates are the following:
• During the week, a one-way trip has a rate of 10,000 Colombian pesos (it would be 3 dollars). If they take the two trips (round trip) it has a rate of 16,000 Colombian pesos (it would be almost 5 dollars).
• On weekends, a one-way trip has a rate of 12,000 Colombian pesos (it would be 4 dollars). . If they take both trips (round trip) there is a fee of 20,000 Colombian pesos (that would be about 6 dollars).
• Children under 5 years old do not have to pay, they travel for free.
Climate
Because of its location near Ipiales, you will feel a cold climate between 10° and 12° Celsius during the day. But if they are going to stay until the night (after 6 pm) the weather drops more in temperature, reaching up to 8° Celsius. For this reason, if you are going to do the entire plan, it is best to dress warmly.
Las Lajas Museum
Admission as such to the entire sanctuary is free and has no cost. But in addition to the chapels, in the lower part, you will find a small museum, in which the entrance fee is 2,000 Colombian pesos (less than 1 dollar)
How the Sanctuary of Las Lajas was built on an indigenous cemetery, the museum consists of two catacombs; In the first one is the Christ the Redeemer where the image of the risen Jesus is found along with other glass images, and in the second one you can find the history of the temple (images of the construction stages), pieces of religious art and archaeological pieces of the indigenous people. Pastures.
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