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SSA046: An image of Mary embedded in stone. Not painted. Not carved. Not added later.

In this episode, Kathryn Laffrey and Alix Murray examine the extraordinary story of Our Lady of Las Lajas and the basilica built around her.

The story begins in 1754 with Maria Mueses and her young daughter Rosa. During a violent storm in a remote Colombian gorge, Rosa—who had been deaf and mute—suddenly speaks, describing a radiant woman holding a child. Later, after Rosa’s death and her mother’s desperate prayer, the child is restored to life. Soon after, an image appears in the rock of the grotto: Mary with the Christ Child, flanked by St. Dominic and St. Francis.

Is it natural formation? Human artistry? Or something beyond explanation?

Kathryn and Alix analyze what investigators have determined the image is not. There are no brushstrokes. No applied pigment. The coloration appears within the stone itself. The detail—stars, rosary, garments—echoes Marian iconography, even inviting comparisons to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

They also trace the architectural evolution of the site: from a rustic 18th-century chapel to a Romanesque structure, and finally to the Neo-Gothic basilica completed in 1949. Built entirely through local devotion and donations, the church stretches across a 260-foot gorge—transforming a once-dangerous crossing into a place of pilgrimage and beauty.

The discussion highlights stained glass artistry, symbolic elements like the eight-pointed star and Marian crowns, and even a rare depiction of Christ as the hen gathering her chicks.

• How should we evaluate miracle claims historically?
• What role does culture play in Marian imagery?
• And how can sacred art reshape not only belief—but the physical world itself?

This episode considers Las Lajas not simply as a shrine, but as a powerful example of how faith, beauty, and mystery endure in stone.

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Links for this episode:

• Las Lajas Official Website
• Victory of Our Lady of Las Lajas – The Golden Thread That Ties Together 5 Marian Apparitions and Prophecies
• The Victory of Our Lady of Las Lajas (Vimeo)
• Santuario de Las Lajas, Ipiales, Colombia (Image)
• Denver Art Museum – Our Lady of Las Lajas Object Page
• Sanctuary of Our Lady of Las Lajas – History
• The Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Las Lajas – Catholic Exchange
• Las Lajas Sanctuary: A Marvel of Faith and Architecture – Colombia One
• Las Lajas Sanctuary – MasterClass Article
• Las Lajas – Patek Philippe Magazine (PDF)
• Treating Quartz Color – Gem Society

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