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IPIALES
"THE GREEN CLOUDS' CITY"
Ipiales, the last Colombian
town before the Ecuadorian border, is an interesting, busy
commercial centre driven by the contraband trade across the
frontier.
There are many things to see, the big colourful Saturday market,
where the campesinos from sur-rounding villages come to sell and buy
goods. The Banco de Ia República has a collection of pottery from
the pre-Columbian Indian groups from around the region on display.
You can also pop into the Catedral on the Plaza de Ia Independencia;
in the left-hand aisle is a vivid sculptured representation of souls
burning in hell.
Interior of the Ipiales' Cathedral. Photo by Javier Coral. Sept. 2003
A short side trip to Las Lajas
is a must. Santuario de Nuestra Señora de las Lajas is a
Gothic-style church built on a bridge which spans a spectacular deep
gorge of the Guáitara River, seven km south-east of Ipiales.
Interior of the Ipiales' Cathedral. Photo by Javier Coral. Sept. 2003
The church was erected to
commemorate the appearance of the Virgin Mary; legend has it that an
image of the Virgin appeared in the mid-18th century on an enormous
vertical rock about 45 metres above the river.
First and Second Chapels of the
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Las Lajas in Ipiales.
© ® IpiTIMES. Artur
Coral-Folleco's Pictures Archive. ~1803
The first chapel was
constructed in 1803, then replaced by another. Today's church,
designed by an architect from Nariño, Lucindo Espinoza, was built
between 1916 and 1948, and is an unusual construction.
Sanctuary's construction above the Guaitara's River
The church is set on a bridge
up against the cliff in such a way that the rock with the image is
preserved as its high altar. The Virgin is accompanied by Santo
Domingo and San Francisco. Pilgrims from all over Colombia and
Ecuador come here all year round.
Construction of the Sanctuary's bridge
Some local sources maintain that this is the most visited religious
sanctuary in the Americas. Many pilgrims have left thanksgiving
plaques along the alley leading to the church. Note the number of
miraculous occurrences which are attributed to the Virgin.
Around Ipiales. Photo by Dr. Servio Caicedo. |
