Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá

About

The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá is located 600 feet underground in a halite mine that’s been in use since the 5th century BC. Miners here had hollowed out a sanctuary for their daily prayers, but in the 1950s, this was expanded into a three-nave Cathedral. At 120 meters long, and 22 meters high, this cavernous cathedral can hold 8000 worshippers. In the 1990s, a new cathedral was built 200 feet below the old one. Here, all the decorations, including the Stations of the Cross, and the 16-ton main altar were all carved from rock salt. Along with attracting tourists for its peculiarity, thousands of pilgrims also flock to the Cathedral, particularly during Easter. If an underground church isn’t enough of a subterranean spectacle, the mines have been converted into a salt theme park, with a museum and movie dedicated to mining history, a market, climbing wall, and light show. We’d recommend adding time to your stop if you’d like to explore the mines.