Iglesias Locas

I definitely needed to write a blog post about churches as I saw 3 crazy ones back to back. Wild. The first one was near Bogota, Colombia in Zapiquira and was completely underground, inside a salt mine. It was originally built by the salt miners in the 1950s, but this structure became too unstable and dangerous. They then had a competition for architects to design the new one - which was constructed in the 1990s. The pictures don´t even do it justice. The structure and scale is massive. There is the main section of the church - with pews and the massive cross at the front. Then, along the path to the main section are the stations of the cross, each with their own cross. Smaller, but still not so small as you can see by me standing in front of this one... and they are all carved out of the salt of the mine.
The second church was near Impiales, Colombia, close to the border of Ecuador. This church was built into the side of a ravine. Again, I don´t think the pictures do it justice - but it is a unique place for sure. And, finally, the cathedral in Baños, Ecuador. Baños is located within lava-spewing distance from the volcano Tungurahua, and I think this gives the people an interesting perspective on life. They seem to be quite religious and pray to El Virgen de Aguas Santas, Our Lady of the Holy Waters. (There are thermal hot springs there.) The church has these paintings covering the walls and they all depict, in graphic details, various disasters or injuries for which they prayed to El Virgen de Aguas Santas and miracles happened! For example here we see a guy who fell off a cliff, with his horse, into the river and survived!
Various volcano eruptions, people falling from heights, getting smashed by trees... you name it, the Virgen saved them!