South American Adventure

The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá is an underground Roman Catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 metres underground in a halite mountain near Zipaquirá.  It is a tourist destination regarded as the 'first wonder of Colombia' and a place of pilgrimage.  The cathedral is considered one of the most notable achievements of Colombian architecture and represents a valuable cultural, environmental, and religious patrimony for the Colombian people.  It is a functioning church that receives as many as 3,000 worshippers on Sundays, but it has no bishop and therefore no official status as a cathedral in Catholicism.

Years before the underground church was built (around 1932), the miners had carved a sanctuary, as a place for their daily prayers asking for protection from the saints before starting to work. In 1950, the construction of a bigger project began. The Salt Cathedral was inaugurated on August 15, 1954, and dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, patron saint of miners. It was composed of three naves and a monumental cross. Parts of the galleries used in the cathedral were actually carved by the ancient Muisca. However, as the church was carved inside an active mine, structural problems and safety concerns led the authorities to shut it in September 1992. 

In 1991 the construction of a new cathedral was begun, 200 feet under the older one. This new cathedral was inaugurated on December 16, 1995. Its various corridors and sanctuaries were achieved by making small but significant additions to the caves left behind by previous mining operations.

The main sections of this phenomenal building are:

The Stations of the Cross: At the entrance of the church, there are 14 small chapels, representing the stations of the cross, which illustrate the events of Jesus' last journey. Each station has a cross and several kneeling platforms carved into the halite structure.

The Dome: Located at the end of the main entrance ramp. From here, the visitor descends to the bas-relief cross chambers, the balcony, and the Narthex labyrinth.

The Lady Chapel: With its elaborate chandeliers and icons of the Virgin Mary, this space is used for services every Sunday.

The Three Naves: These vast spaces symbolise the birth, life, and death of Christ. Four large cylindric columns 8 metres in diameter represent the four gospels. It is here that thousands of worshippers gather every week.

I can say that we have never been in a structure like the Salt Cathedral!  As we entered the mine and began to descend, the chapels dedicated to the stations of the cross were a little underwhelming.  It was difficult to see how these carved crosses represented what had happened to Jesus.  However, when we reached a depth of 200 metres and emerged into the Lady Chapel and progressed into the naves, it was a real wow moment!  What a feat of engineering!  The sheer scale and audacity of the design took our breath away.  We stopped in the main nave to watch an incredible sound and light show projected onto the salt wall behind the altar.  Sadly, the video doesn't do justice to the impact of this installation.

Between the naves and the point where we waited for the land train to take us back to the surface, was a 'commercial area'.  Here, bizarrely, there were a number of shops - ice cream parlours, jewellers, gift shops, cafes, and clothes boutiques - ready to tempt pilgrims and tourists to part with their money.  There was also a cinema where we watched a 20-minute 3D film explaining the thousands of years of history surrounding the salt mine and the different incarnations of religious structures on the site.  It was fascinating!

Back on the surface, after two and a half hours underground, we met up with Steven and our driver and went for lunch.

The photos attached to this footprint are of the entrance to the mine and of some of the stations of the cross.Read more