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THE SANCTUARY OF OUR LADY OF
LAS LAJAS IN IPIALES, NARIÑO, COLOMBIA
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Go for Ipiales Bilingual
Info.! |
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[The Sanctuary of our
Lady of Las Lajas in Ipiales, ANOTHER WORLD'S WONDER? Photo by
Servio Caicedo. Ipiales, Sept. 16, 2003] |
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Incredible
but true: Our Lady of Las Lajas |
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Historians and scientists are at a loss to explain this fabulous
image on the wall of a South American cave. It may forever remain an
enigma.
Back in the eighteenth century, María Mueses de
Quiñones, an indian woman from the village of Potosi, Colombia,
often walked the six miles between her village and the neighbouring
one of Ipiales. One day in 1754 as she was making the journey, she
approached the place called Las Lajas (the Rock Slabs), where the
trail passes through a deep gorge of the Guaitara River. Maria never
liked this part of the trail. There were rumours a cave in the Lajas
was haunted. Superstitions lingered amongst the converted Christian
indians.
 In the indian way, she was
carrying her daughter Rosa, a deaf-mute, on her back. And by the
time she had climbed to the Lajas she was weary and sat on a rock to
rest. The child got down from her back to play. Next thing Rosa was
by the cave shouting: “Mummy, there is a woman in here with a boy in
her arms!” Maria was beside herself with the fright. For this was
the first time she had heard her daughter speak. She did not see the
figures the girl was talking about, nor did she want to. She grabbed
the child and hastened on to Ipiales.
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When she told what happened
nobody took her seriously at first. However, as the news spread
some asked if maybe it was true. After all, the child was now
able to speak.
A few days later the child Rosa disappeared
from home. After looking everywhere the anguished Maria guessed
it: her daughter must have gone to the cave. She often said that
the woman was calling her. Maria ran to Las Lajas to find her
daughter kneeling in front of a splendid woman and playing
affectionately with a child who had come down from His mother’s
arms to let the girl enjoy His divine tenderness. Maria fell to
her knees before this beautiful spectacle; she had seen the
Blessed Virgin. |
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Fearful of ridicule, Maria
kept quiet about the event. But frequently she and Rosa went
to the cave to place wild flowers and candles in the cracks of
the rocks.
The months went by, with María and Rosa
keeping their secret. Until one day the girl fell gravely ill
and died. A distraught Maria decided to take her daughter’s
body to the Lajas to ask the Lady to restore Rosa to life.
Pressed by the sadness of Maria’s unrelenting supplications,
the Blessed Virgin obtained Rosa’s resurrection from Her
Divine Son. Overflowing with joy, Maria went home. It didn’t
take long for a crowd to gather. Early next morning everyone
went to Las Lajas, each wanting to check the details for
themselves. |
That was when the marvellous picture of Our
Lady on the wall of the grotto was discovered. Maria Muese de
Quinones could not recall noticing it until then. The child
Jesus is in Our Lady’s arms. On one side of Our Lady is Saint
Francis; on the other is Saint Dominic. Her delicate and regal
features are those of a Latin American, perhaps an Indian. Her
abundant black hair covers her like a mantle (The
two-dimensional crown is metal and was added by devotees much
later on). Her eyes sparkle with a pure and friendly joy. She
looks about fourteen years old. The indians had no doubt: this
was their queen.
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As devotion to the image
grew, a good road replaced the old trail. In the early 20th
century a tasteful gothic church was built over the cave.
But who put this magnificent image there?
The author has never been identified! Scoffers say the wily
Dominicans sneaked in a good artist, and the gullible
indians are still being fooled.
But tests done when the church was built
show how stupendous this image actually is. Geologists from
Germany bored core samples from several spots in the image.
There is no paint, no dye, nor any other pigment on the
surface of the rock. The colours are the colours of the rock
itself. Even more incredible, the rock is perfectly coloured
to a depth of several feet!
So the mystery remains unsolved. Did
angels do it? Or did God Himself do it at the dawn of
creation, when he contemplated the most excellent of all His
creatures? The One whom He would make Queen of Heaven and
Earth. And to whose maternal care the future nation of
Colombia would be entrusted. END . [TFP]
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The
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Las Lajas
Located 7km from Ipiales, on a bridge which spans a
spectacular gorge of the Guáitara River, is this
gothic church. Legend has it that an image of the
Virgin Mary appeared in the mid-18th century on an
enormous rock above the river. Interestingly, the
church has been constructed in such a way that the
rock (and image) is its high altar. Pilgrims from
all over Colombia and Ecuador journey here and,
unsurprisingly, reports of miracles at the site are
not uncommon. Accommodation is suitably ascetic,
being provided in a small but cheery convent up the
road from the church.
Círculo
de Amistad Colombo-Alemán e.V. - Filial de Munich |
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