Iglesia Las Lajas

"⚠️ The church is 2km outside Ipiales; take a taxi. From the drop-off it's a steep 10-minute walk downhill to the church. Practically hanging over the abyss, the Las Lajas cathedral perches 100m above the Guáitara River canyon, connected by a bridge to the side of the ravine. The construction of this Roman Catholic edifice that resembles a castle is rooted in miracles. According to legend, a local Amerindian woman and her deaf-mute daughter were caught in a storm here in 1754. When they took shelter in the gorge, they saw the image of the Virgin Mary in the stone, and the girl became able to hear and speak. When a blind man later regained his sight here too, pilgrims in search of miraculous healing followed and, in 1949, the humble chapel built around the image finally became a church."