There are some places one would like to return several times. The Salt Cathedral in Zipaquirá, Colombia, is one of those, not only because of its physical features but also due to its profound meaning. From the architectural point of view, the Salt Cathedral is a marvelous work of engineering and creativity; it is possible to appreciate the beauty of the place from the entrance. Moreover, the religious meaning and the handmade details on the rock constitute part of its charm. Here some facts that make this place a more enchanted and special site: 

            First, the Salt Cathedral that hundred of people visit today is not the original one. The first church was built in four years, from 1950 to 1954, and it stayed open until 1990 year when the authorities closed it due to some problems in the structure that could endanger the visitors. The current Cathedral was also built in four years, from 1991 to 1995, 200 feet under the older one. Now the structure is firm and totally secure for everybody to walk, literally, into the earth. 

            Second, interesting enough to be mentioned, the Salt Cathedral has no bishop. Even though it has all the characteristics to be deemed as a religious sanctuary, the church is not considered an official cathedral in Catholicism. Despite of this, the church holds religious services, including marriages and baptisms, and can hold up to 10,000 people in its main room. However, there is plenty of space: other rooms shelter religious images and iconography that are by themselves, pieces of art.

Third, the Salt Cathedral is built in a real functional salt mine. The attractiveness of the site does not stop there. A fact that might be unknown for visitors is that the main material is not common salt; it is actually “halite”, a crystallized mineral that occurs in vast beds of sedimentary evaporated mineral that result from the drying up of enclosed lakes, and seas. The halite at Zipaquirá is known as rock salt. This geological piece of evidence means that the mountain where the church now settles was, once upon a time, under water¡

The last point is not easy to know just by seeing it; it is essential to feel it. Tourist guides rapidly mention this information, so if you miss it is lost: inside the Cathedral there are 14 small chapels representing the Stations of the Cross, that is birth, life, and death of Jesus; however, not all the chapels are made of salt, two are made of marble. They were the result of a failed restoration project initiated several years ago to preserve some traits of the stations. Nonetheless, during the restoration process people realized that it was ironic to use another material than salt to restore a place well known by its “salty” particularity. Fortunately, the project stopped and now we can enjoy the church with its original material. The difference between marble and rock salt is difficult to establish inside the dim and softly lighted tunnels, but the change is easy to identify when you touch it: salt is rougher than marble.

Undoubtedly, the Salt Cathedral is a must see in your trip to Colombia. But Zipaquirá has it charm as well. Its colonial architecture bestows the town with the magic that portrays the Colombian heritage. There are similar picturesque towns all around the vast savannah where it is possible to go and spend some time just walking around and enjoying the landscape.

           There are many places where you can go in Colombia. If you visit this beautiful country and want to go to Zipaquirá to find out more about this particular place, visit www.hansatours.com, get information and plan your trip.