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The small city of Pamplona, located in the Norte de Santander department of Colombia, is a nice place to spend a day or two exploring. This post will cover the attractions in the city other than the handful of small museums located there.
Plaza Águeda Gallardo
The best place to start is in the main plaza, Plaza Águeda Gallardo. It’s one of the country’s largest and most pleasant plazas.
The plaza is surrounded by a mix of modern and colonial buildings, and in every direction you can see the mountains that Pamplona is nestled between. You can find countless street vendors, a gazebo, and plenty of places to sit and people watch.
Cathedral of Santa Clara
The most important building on the plaza is the Cathedral of Santa Clara (Catedral de Santa Clara). Construction began in 1584 under María Velasco de Montalvo, the daughter of Pamplona’s founder, Spanish conquistador Ortún Velázquez de Velasco. It was heavily damaged in an earthquake in 1875 and reconstructed. The church is the oldest religious building in Norte de Santander.
The interior of the church is quite plain but it has a beautiful retable that survived the earthquake. In the retable, there’s a figure of Saint Peter that was made in Spain in 1618.
Casa de Mercado
On the southwest corner of the plaza is the Casa de Mercado, which was built in 1920. This historic market building is full of stalls selling fruits, vegetables, spices, meats, clothing, and other goods. Commerce spills over onto the side streets as well.
The building sits on the former location of a Jesuit school dating back to 1622. At the school, Pamplona declared its independence from Spain in 1810.
Archbishop’s Palace
On the northwest corner of the plaza is the Archbishop’s Palace (Palacio Arzobispal). It dates back to 1837 as the residence of bishops and archbishops of Pamplona. The building was constructed on the site of the former residence of the Rangel de Cuellar family. Next to the building off the plaza is the Archdiocesan Museum of Religious Art (Museo Arquidiocesano de Arte Religioso).
Church of Santa Clara
If you continue past Casa de Mercado west of the plaza towards Casa Colonial, you’ll come to a couple of interesting buildings. First is the church of the Convent of Santa Clara (Convento de Santa Clara), which was built after the Order of Santa Clara were expelled from the Cathedral of Santa Clara on the plaza.
Sacred Heart of Jesus High School
Nearby is the Sacred Heart of Jesus High School (Colegio del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús), a which is housed in a beautiful building built in 1938. The school dates back to 1896.
Calle Real
Finally, it’s good to take a walk down Calle Real. Pamplona’s principal shopping street is full of stores selling upscale clothing, electronics, and more.
Plazuela Almeyda
Calle Real leads south to Plazuela Almeyda, which contains an obelisk in the center. Cariongo Plaza Hotel sits on the plaza.
