Monserrate isn’t just a mountain topped by a church, oh no. It’s a Bogotá landmark, a place of pilgrimage, a point of reference, a tourist destination and a place of worship. For me, Monserrate is where I look to when I’m lost in the city. I can figure out where I am and in what direction I need to go just by looking at it.
Those of us who wander and get lost have been looking to the Monserrate for centuries and climbing up its many stairs to reach the top and find solace. At 3,152 metres (10,341ft) above sea level, it’s quite the climb. And if the steepness of the mountain doesn’t get you, the altitude definitely will.
But there are other means of making your way up that don’t involve breaking into a sweat. You can catch the cable railway or funicular and once you get there there’s an impressive but overwhelming view of the sprawling city below. From here, you can really appreciate that this is the third largest city in all of South America.
As well as the view, there’s the Monserrate’s Morena Virgin church waiting for you at the top. It was built in 1657 and led by the visionary work of Don Pedro Solís. Pilgrims and devotees come to the church for all sorts of reasons but one of them is to see the image inside of El Señor Caído or Fallen Lord, which is enclosed in a crystal case.
Not only is this a place for the spiritual, it’s for the athletes who run up the mountain in the early mornings and for the nature lovers who come to see the diverse Andean vegetation, which include blossoming trees and wild flowers.
But one of my favorite things to do is, just as the sun starts to set, to make my way to one of the shops or restaurants, sit and have a tinto and watch the world in Bogotá go by.
Whether you’re spiritually lost, or if you just don’t know the way home from the Transmilenio stop, look to the Monserrate and you’ll eventually find your way.
Sarah
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