Ipiales, Nariño, Colombia
The soul is healed by being with children.
—Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821–1881), Russian novelist
The neo-Gothic Las Lajas Cathedral on Colombia’s border with Ecuador rises majestically from a deep, green gorge of the Guáitara River, and its walkway spans the river. This glorious sanctuary commemorates the appearance of the Blessed Virgin on a cliff face in 1750. According to legend, a bolt of lightning illuminated a painting of Our Lady, revealing it to a deaf-mute girl, Rosa, and her mother, María Mueses de Quiñones, local Amerindians who had taken shelter from the storm between two large lajas (sedimentary rocks). The painting of the Holy Mother and Holy Infant, located inside a cave high in the mountains, was reportedly unknown until Rosa spotted it. If you seek spiritual balm for an arid heart, weary spirit, or physical ailment, visit this sanctuary. Take a taxi to the cathedral from Ipiales, and on the return to the village share a taxi or catch a small bus (colectivo). Bring warm clothes, as the area can be cold.
Light a candle, kneel, and ask for spiritual or physical healing from Our Lady of Las Lajas.
On a wall along the road between the village and the church are hundreds of plaques thanking the Virgin for miraculous healings. The cathedral is a holy site of pilgrimage, especially on September 21.