Apparition of Our Lady of Las Lajas, Year: 1750
This History or legend appears for the first time in Bogota’s newspaper - No.109'', owned by Lazaro Maria Giron, 1887, and quoted by Father Julio Maria Matovelle in the aforementioned book.
The story goes as follows: It tells about the legend of a little Indian girl heading to Ipiales from Potosi along with her daughter Rosa. They were passing through a very dangerous place when a great storm forced them to seek for shelter in a cave around there. She got in, very scared by their belief in the devil in that place, but her surprise was bigger when her daughter, who was deaf from birth, said: ‘‘Mommy, the Mestiza is calling me out" (this was the first miracle of the virgin and the first apparition of the Virgin).
She ran towards Father of Ipiales, Eusebio Mejia, to give the news of the discovery, who went along with some neighbors towards the place indicated by the peasant. Once there, they found on the bare rock, polished by centuries, the beautiful image of the Del Rosario Virgin.
Afterwards, the life of Juana and Rosita gets lost in the mists of time. We know nothing about when Juana and her daughter died. It only remains challenging the time stamp of tenderness and miracles of Our Lady of Las Lajas. And just as Juana, Rosita, The Father of Ipiales and the town contemplated her, we contemplate her with no wear or tweaks, despite the harsh weather and smoke from the candles, and so it is contemplated by generations pushing us towards the eternity.
The image of Our Lady of Las Lajas is the most revered image worldwide.
The beauty of the painting at the place where she has shown herself to mankind makes the whole place the most extraordinary and impressive setting venue, which once obliged to Minister of the State claim: “DREAMED PLACE, WHICH WOULD RENEW LUCIFER’S FAITH”.