Las Lajas Sanctuary

Hidden in a canyon on the Guaitara River in Colombia, Las Lajas Sanctuary’s gorgeous Gothic Revival-style architecture makes for a magical sight. Built between 1916 and 1949, the spectacular sanctuary lies on a 130-foot-high bridge that spans the river, with a beautiful waterfall twinkling beside it. It is a famous pilgrimage site for Christians from both Colombia and neighboring Ecuador, due to a Marian apparition that is purported to have taken place here in the 18th century.

Las Lajas Sanctuary is an example of the Gothic Revival style, with a vaulted ceiling, buttresses, and spires. The inside of the church is white with gold trim, and it is ninety feet long and fifty feet wide. The present church was built in a Gothic style between 1916 and 1949 (33 years). The name Laja (slab) comes from the name of a type of flat sedimentary rock similar to shale and slate.

Las Lajas Sanctuary is 330 feet tall from the bottom of the Guáitara Canyon against one side of the canyon on a hill. A 160-foot-tall bridge over the Guáitara River connects the church to the other side of the canyon. The entrance to the church is 150 feet over the canyon, and from above, the roof of Las Lajas Sanctuary resembles a Catholic cross.

Location: Guaitara River, Colombia

Architect: Lucindo Espinosa, J. Gualberto Pérez