The first religious building on the mountain was built in 1657. It was a catholic church and a monastery dedicated to Our Lady of Montserrat, a replicate statue of the Virgin Mary in the Santa Maria de Montserrat Monastery on the Montserrat Mountain near Barcelona, Spain. Our Lady of Montserrat is popularly known as The Black Madonna (in Spain people call her “La Morenita” meaning “the little dark-skinned one”) for her blackened appearance.
In the second half of the XVII century, a carving of Colombian sculptor Pedro Lugo y Albarracín representing “El Señor Caído” (Spanish for “The Fallen Christ”) was placed in the church. Over time, people began visiting the sanctuary to offer their prayers to the statue of the fallen Jesus rather than to the image of the Virgin of Montserrat. By the 19th Century, the sculpture to the Virgin of Montserrat was removed and replaced with “The Fallen Christ”. The stunning religious carving is now located behind the main altar and became the centerpiece of the Sanctuary. The current church building of neo-colonial style was built in 1925. It is known as The Basilica Sanctuary of the Fallen Christ. The mountain, however, has retained the name Monserrate to this day.
The remarkable carving of The Fallen Christ by Lugo y Albarracín was created following the line of grim and dramatic imagery of Spanish religious realism. It shows an agonizing Christ, leaning on his side, half naked and beset with pain. It is adorned with realistic elements such as long natural hair, glass eyes and bleeding lacerations made with plant resins. The sculpture is carved in wood, but the hands, feet and face are made in lead. The crown is made in silver.
Monserrate Mountain, the Sanctuary, and the sculpture of The Fallen Christ are important symbols of Bogotá. From the top, visitors enjoy spectacular views of the city stretching in all directions. There are various alternatives to reach the summit. For people going up for religious reasons, walking the 2.5 kilometer path up the mountain is the norm. Those begging forgiveness for serious sins often carry a couple of bricks for extra penance. However, most people opt for either a cable car or an aerial tramway which can take people to the top of the mountain in about five minutes.
Not far from Monserrate Mountain is the 3.260-meter-high Guadalupe Mountain. At the top of this mountain there is a sculpture dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. The 15-meter-high statue is the work of Colombian sculptor Gustavo Arcila Uribe. Along with the statue there is a small chapel. A lookout next to the chapel offers breathtaking views of the city.
