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The Convent of Santo Ecce Homo (Convento de Santo Ecce Homo) is a Dominican monastery founded in 1620. It’s located near Villa de Leyva and makes for a great day trip combined with other attractions outside of town.

Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Convent of Santo Ecce Homo

 

Getting to the Convent of Santo Ecce Homo

To get to Santo Ecce Homo, you can take a bus from Villa de Leyva heading to Santa Sofía. Ask the driver to let you off at the road to the monastery, and it’s about a 15 minute walk from there. You can also hire a taxi in town to take you there and to other attractions, or rent a bike and enjoy the ride.


 

Visiting the Convent of Santo Ecce Homo

Admission is COP$10,000 (as of January 2023) and it’s open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Tours are self-guided, and info panels are in Spanish, English, and French.

Before purchasing a ticket, just inside the entrance look down and you’ll notice the floor is paved with fossils. The area is rich with fossils, and a stop at the Fossil Museum is a must when visiting Santo Ecce Homo.

Fossils
Fossils

 

Courtyard

After purchasing a ticket, the door enters the beautiful colonnaded courtyard, which is full of perfectly manicured flowers and shrubs. A well sits in the center.

Courtyard at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Courtyard
Courtyard at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Courtyard
Door on the courtyard
Door

Before walking upstairs to the first stop on the self-guided tour, you’ll notice an original fresco that was once painted over. Once at the top of the stairs, you’ll get a good look at the courtyard from above.

Fresco at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Fresco
Courtyard at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Courtyard

 

Church

The doors upstairs open to the choir of the church, complete with a creepy faceless mannequin surrounded by several antique books and an organ. You can see the church from above and the wooden ceiling.

Choir of the church
Choir
Church at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Church
Ceiling of the church
Ceiling

The route leads back downstairs where you can enter the church. Construction began on April 25, 1650. To the left of the altar is a side chapel.

Church at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Church
Looking towards the entrance of the church
Looking towards the entrance
Pulpit in the church
Pulpit
Altar at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Altar
Side chapel
Side chapel

 

Capitulary Hall

A door from the chapel leads to the Capitulary Hall. This is where meetings and special events in the lives of the friars were held. Today, there is an exhibit of ecclesiastical art. On display are crosses, statues, vestments, and more, including a unique crucifix with Christ alive on the cross.

Capitulary Hall at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Capitulary Hall
Capitulary Hall at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Capitulary Hall


 

Exhibits at the Convent of Santo Ecce Homo

The next rooms contain various exhibits. The first room displays indigenous clothing and artifacts, the second was the library, and the third displays farming equipment that would have been used by the friars.

Indigenous clothing exhibit
Indigenous clothing
Library
Library
Library
Library
Farming equipment at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Farming equipment

The fourth room shows an example of a friar’s cell and how he would have lived during the 17th century.

Friar's cell at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Friar’s cell
Friar's cell at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Friar’s cell

The Refectory is where the friars would gather to eat meals. One or two would serve the meals while the rest would listen to the reading of a text.

Refectory at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Refectory

The final few rooms display statues, paintings, and photographs. In the Sacristy, look for a wooden panel depicting a skull and crossbones wearing a traditional Andean winter cap.

Religious statues
Religious statues
Sacristy at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Sacristy
Skull and crossbones with an Andean winter cap at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Skull and crossbones with an Andean winter cap

 

Cemetery

The gates to the left of the church open to the cemetery. Several friars, priests, and others are buried there.

Entrance to the cemetery
Entrance to the cemetery
Cemetery
Cemetery
Cemetery
Cemetery

 

Schola Christi

Across from the monastery was a Christian school founded in 1651, Schola Christi. I walked around the building but none of the rooms were open.

Path to Schola Christi
Path to Schola Christi
Schola Christi at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Schola Christi
Schola Christi at Convent of Santo Ecce Homo near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Schola Christi


 

Santo Ecce Homo Hotel

Next door to the school, a large hotel was under construction. The Santo Ecce Homo Hotel will provide visitors who want a peaceful place to stay with guest rooms and a restaurant. Behind it is a space where it’s possible to camp.

Santo Ecce Homo Hotel
Santo Ecce Homo Hotel

 

Astronomical Observatory

Finally, on the road to Santo Ecce Homo you’ll pass the Astronomical Observatory of Zaquencipa and Kosmos Space Museum (Observatorio Astronómico de Zaquencipa y Kosmos Museo del Espacio). It’s supposedly a space museum during the day and astronomical observatory at night. We stopped by out of curiosity. The caretaker told us to honk the horn to get the attention of the owner, but he never came outside. The hours listed were 9am to 5pm and 7pm to 10pm daily.

Astronomical Observatory of Zaquencipa and Kosmos Space Museum
Astronomical Observatory of Zaquencipa and Kosmos Space Museum

 

Map with the Convent of Santo Ecce Homo

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Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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