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Chiquinquirá is a city in the department of Boyacá, Colombia. Located just an hour from Villa de Leyva and three hours from Bogotá, it’s an important place for religious pilgrims going to see a famous painting called the Virgin of Chiquinquirá (Virgen de Chiquinquirá). There isn’t much else to see if you aren’t interested in churches.
Plaza de Bolívar
Everything worth seeing in Chiquinquirá is situated around three plazas in town. The first and most important is Plaza de Bolívar, with a statue of Simón Bolívar in the center. It’s a wide open space surrounded by colonial buildings. Many of them are souvenir shops selling religious items and guitars. You can also find small booths selling religious items in the middle of the plaza.
Basilica of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá
The centerpiece of Chiquinquirá and Plaza de Bolívar is the Basilica of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá (Basílica de la Virgen de Chiquinquirá), which is the focal point of pilgrims to the city. It’s a large neoclassical church built between 1796 and 1812. The church features 17 chapels and is one of the more beautiful churches in Colombia.
Other features of the church include the Stations of the Cross behind the altar, side chapels, and a plaque commemorating the visit of Pope John Paul II on July 3, 1986. He knelt in front of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá and prayed for peace in Colombia.
Virgin of Chiquinquirá
The Virgin of Chiquinquirá is an image of the Virgin Mary and the whole reason the church was built. It’s displayed in the ornate altar behind protective glass, and measures 113cm by 126cm.
The Virgin of Chiquinquirá was painted around 1862 by Spaniard Alonso de Narváez in Tunja. He used a canvas of cotton spun by local indigenous people, and paint made from mineral and organic pigments from the soil along with herb and flower juices. The painting was kept in a chapel with a leaky roof, and after some time, humidity had damaged it so much that it was impossible to recognize the subject.
In 1577, the painting was moved to Chiquinquirá and placed in storage in a former oratory. IN 1585, a woman named María Ramos from Sevilla, Spain, moved the image to a small chapel in town. According to tradition, a year later on December 26, 1586, the painting was discovered to have been miraculously restored. The scratches in the cloth disappeared and the paint recovered its original brightness and color.
Coronation Museum
To the left of the church is the Coronation Museum (Museo de la Coronación), which we didn’t visit. There is, however, a nice patio where you can get another look at the church. It’s also where I spotted a poster of Jesus wearing a St. Louis Blues logo. I’m sure whoever made it has no idea what hockey is, but didn’t they notice the strange symbol?
Parque Julio Flórez
Parque Julio Flórez is a few blocks from Plaza de Bolívar. It’s a smaller plaza with a few shrubs and a bust of Julio Flórez, a Colombian poet from the city, in the center.
Church of the Renovation
Our Lady of the Rosary (Nuestra Señora del Rosario), also known as the Church of the Renovation (Iglesia de la Renovación), and the attached Mariano Museum (Museo Mariano) is located on the plaza. We didn’t visit the small religious art museum, but we did enter the church, which was the location of the miracle of the renovation of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá.
Underneath the church is the Well of the Virgin (Pozo de la Virgen). Visitors can follow the path to the spot where the miracle supposedly took place. The well of holy water that is currently there is the result of pilgrims taking dirt from the spot over a few centuries.
Parque David Guarín
The third and final plaza to visit is Parque David Guarín. It’s a large space with grass and trees, playground equipment, and the modern Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Catedral Sagrado Corazón de Jesús).
Chiquinquirá Railway Station
More interesting is the Chiquinquirá Railway Station (Ferrocarril de Chiquinquirá). This former train depot is now a cultural center but features an old locomotive on original tracks behind the building.
Inside, there are periodic art exhibitions. When we visited, there was a photo exhibition on the ground floor. On the second floor, there were indigenous antiquities from all over Colombia as well as old photos of the city along the walls. Finally, on the third floor there’s a conference room.
Conclusion
Overall, we spent about two hours in Chiquinquirá. It’s not a knockout destination by any means, but if you’re into religious artifacts and churches, it’s worth a day trip.
