Beautiful Cathedral - Las Lajas Cathedral

[wilson333]

Las Lajas Cathedral or Las Lajas Sanctuary (El santuario de Las Lajas - in Spanish) was build on the place where in 1754 on the slab was first seen lightning image of Virgin Mary and where several churches was build before construction of existing Cathedral.


Information from http://www.building.am

[Laetare]

Nearly two years later, it's still a glorious Minas Tirith of imperial Catholic glory.  ;)

[Dominus est]

Nossa-Senhora-de-las-lajas

The Las Lajas Cathedral is located in southern Colombia and built in 1916 inside the canyon of the Guaitara River. According to the legend, this was the place where an indian woman named María Mueses de Quiñones was carrying her deaf-mute daughter Rosa on her back near Las Lajas ("The Rocks"). Weary of the climb, the María sat down on a rock when Rosa spoke (for the first time) about an apparition in a cave.

Later on, a mysterious painting of the Virgin Mary carrying a baby was discovered on the wall of the cave. Supposedly, studies of the painting showed no proof of paint or pigments on the rock - instead, when a core sample was taken, it was found that the colors were impregnated in the rock itself to a depth of several feet. Whether true or not, the legend spurred the building of this amazing church.
http://www.oddee.com/item_96506.aspx

[jovan66102]

Nearly two years later, it's still a glorious Minas Tirith of imperial Catholic glory.  ;)

THAT'S what it reminded me of!

[mikemac]

Beautiful Cathedral for sure.  Gorgeous.

[AdOrientem]

Truly a spectacular cathedral!  I wonder, is all the white trim and statuary on the facade painted white or is it some kinda white marble or other stone that just looks white because of the the dark gray stone walls?

I'd love to visit it, but I'd stay as far as I could from the railings on the "plaza"(?) that leads from the hillside to the front of the cathedral.  Almost cracked my head open as a kid and get vertigo just standing on a 6 foot stepladder...