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La Candelaria Monastery is located in the small village of La Candelaria, a short drive from Ráquira. It’s located in the department of Boyacá, Colombia.
The Monastery
If you cross a small bridge in town, you’ll come to the gates of La Candelaria Monastery (Monasterio de La Candelaria). It was founded in 1597 by Augustinian monks from Spain. Construction of the monastery started in 1604 and was completed by 1661.
Visiting
Tours of the monastery cost COP$15,000 per person (as of January 2023) and last about 30 minutes. They’re in Spanish only.
The Tour
The tour started in one of the two stunning courtyards, where the guide explained a few of the paintings in the cloister. All of the paintings were done in the 17th century and depict the life of St. Augustine.
Off the courtyard, we stopped into a former monk’s cell. It showed how the monks would have lived in the 17th and 18th century. The self-flagellation devices are original to the period.
We then went into a room containing antique texts and hymn books along with some anonymous paintings. The paintings date back to the 17th and 18th century and depict several saints and religious scenes.
Next was a room with antique items that the monastery had acquired over the years followed by a hallway with money from all over the world.
From there was another room filled with old equipment and gadgets such as projectors, typewriters, cameras, and computers. It led to a room displaying religious statues, vestments, and crucifixes.
The tour of the monastery ended in the second courtyard, where the current residents of the monastery live. It was just as beautiful as the first courtyard.
The Church
On our first visit in March 2018, the church was under renovation. We were able to see it on our next trip a year later by taking another tour.
We entered the church through the sacristy, which is where priests would get dressed before ceremonies.
Once we entered the church, we were impressed by the beautiful artwork behind the altar. There were also a few interesting statues along the aisles.
Cave
An optional part of the tour took us down a path past the Posada San Agustín, a hotel affiliated with the monastery.
It led to a cave where the first two monks who arrived from Spain lived. They wanted to live a rigid life of penitence and prayer.
La Candelaria
The village next to the monastery has a population of about 300 people, and there’s nothing to see in the heart of town.
Getting There
Having your own transportation is the best way to get to La Candelaria, but you can also hire a taxi in Villa de Leyva to take you to Ráquira and the monastery. There’s a minibus from Ráquira as well.
