Lucindo María Espinosa Medina is named as architect of the Neo-Gothic church, built between 1916 and 1949 with donations from local churchgoers, though the lead gives 1916 to 1953. It stands in the canyon of the Guáitara River in Ipiales, less than 7 miles (11 km) from the Ecuadorian border.
The article says it rises 330 feet (100 m) from the bottom of the canyon and connects to the opposite side by a bridge about 164 feet (50 m) tall. "Laja" is Spanish for flagstone. Pilgrims believe a Marian image on the rock wall is of divine origin, which the article says has not been verified.
Earlier structures were a straw and wood shrine in the mid-18th century, a brick chapel of 1795 or 1796 and a larger shrine of 1802. The article tags the claim that a bridge linked them in the later 19th century as needing a citation. It names no tower, current materials or interior layout.
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