Desierto de la Candelaria Monastery

Augustinian Recollects founded the house in 1597 in country deliberately chosen for its emptiness - the word desierto in this usage means a place of retreat rather than a desert proper, though the surrounding badlands of eroded clay and sparse scrub do the job. It is among the oldest monasteries in the country still occupied. Before the buildings went up, the friars lived in caves in the rock nearby, and those are shown on the tour. The church holds a painted image of the Virgin of La Candelaria that draws pilgrims, and the cloister has a library and a collection of colonial religious painting. A small community still lives here, so the visit is guided and parts remain closed.

What you actually see

• A monastery founded in 1597 - among the oldest still occupied.
• Hermit caves in the rock - used before the buildings were raised.
• Badlands around it - eroded clay chosen for its emptiness.
• Colonial religious painting - in the cloister collection.

When to go

Year round. An hour and a half.

Honest expectations

It is a working religious house - access is guided and limited, and parts are closed. Tours are in Spanish. The last part of the road is unpaved. There are no services at the site.

Nearby

Raquira and its pottery workshops are close; Villa de Leyva is north-east.