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Friday, March 18, 2011

Santuario Las Lajas, Colombia

Santuario Las Lajas does not belong in South America.

Its architecture: unmistakably Gothic

Its precarious perch: rivals Himalayan temples

Rising nearly 500 feet out of the belly of a gorge, the basilica straddles the Río Guaítara spanning a distance of 65 feet across. The imposing church is the only thing out of place. Arriving there is a purely Andean experience. At 9500 feet above sea level your heart pounds and lungs burn as you follow the path to the cathedral. The village marking the entrance is a busy marketplace of handicraft store fronts, llama handlers peddling pictures of their pets, and the whistles of Quechua and Spanish competing for airspace with the appetite inducing smells of Sunday lunch on the grill. The path to the sanctuary is paved in stone, the gorge face lined with horizontal rock hand rails, perfectly etched and detailed to mimic wooden tree branches and trunks. The inside edge of the cliff remains naked rock. However, thousands of plaques crowd for holy proximity, bearing engraved words of praise the Virgin Mary, Jesus, or favorite saints. The faithful come in multitudes from the far reaches of Colombia, neighboring Ecuador, and all across the world in order to marvel, snap pictures, pray, and wash away their iniquities. A waterfall spills into the river below, being gathered and blessed for holy water. The words of mass bounce off the surrounding stones and echo in people’s minds. A cloud settles into the canyon releasing a gentle mist. A cleansing dew.

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