Monserrate
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- For the Portuguese palace, see Monserrate Palace.
| Monserrate Hill | |
|---|---|
 Bogotá Downtown with Monserrate (left) and Guadalupe (right) Hills behind. |
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| Elevation | 3.152 m |
| Location | Bogotá, Colombia |
| Range | Andean Range |
Monserrate is a hill that dominates the city centre of Bogotá, capital city of Colombia. On the top, 3.152 m above the sea level, there is a church (built in the 17th century) with a shrine, devoted to "El Señor Caído" (The Fallen Lord). It is a pilgrim destination, as well as a touristic attraction. There is also a fine dining restaurant and many smaller touristic facilities. Monserrate can be accessed by aerial tramway, a funicular or by climbing, the preferred way of pilgrims.
Both Monserrate and its neighbour hill Guadalupe are icons of Bogotá's cityscape.
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[edit] History
[edit] History of Monserrate Hill
As you raise the look from any point of the city, it's impossible not to run into the Hill that from its 3,152 meters above sea level, looks over to Bogotá.
Monserrate is the most representative symbol of the Colombian capital, not only as a natural monument, but by its religious character, whose sanctuary has been visited by millions of pilgrims and travelers since its foundation in 1640.
Don Juan de Borja, President of The New Kingdom of Granada, was the one who authorized the construction of a chapel dedicated to the Brown Virgin of Monserrat, whose sanctuary is located near the city of Barcelona, Spain.
Don Pedro Solis, craftsman of this work, did not want it to finish there. He knew well that the place was ideal for a monastery, which was finally finished in 1657, with the help of the people and that years later, would lodge its most illustrious guest: The Fallen Lord, work of the Santafereño maestro Pedro de Lugo y Albarracín, who achieved not only a beautiful image of impressive artistic value, but also unified the religious faith of the city.
Since that time, thousands of faithful climb the steps that lead to the sanctuary on the peak every day, with devotion, as an act of penance. Other thousands of tourists, sportsmen or curious arrive on foot, by funicular or cable car, and find again the harmony that exists between this creation of God and man's work.
Visiting Monserrate for any reason is a unique experienc: The view of Bogotá from Monserrate, the faith that evokes the Sanctuary and each stone that was put in place with this purpose; its pilgrims, its forests and fountains, the gastronomy, its foggy woodlands, the sunset, its starred nights and its majestic moon.
[edit] Pilgrimage
Since the beginning of history mankind has done it, walking together with family, friends and relatives, towards a place graced by God's presence.
People from Israel walked through the desert seeking for Promised Land. The Holy Family traveled from Nazareth to Jerusalem following the patriarch's tradition. Our ancestors made pilgrimages to sacred places such as Rome and Santiago de Compostela to venerate an Apostle's memory.
Colombians have made pilgrimages for more than four centuries, climbing Monserrate to meet the Lord in his Venerable Sanctuary.
[edit] Sanctuary
By a strait and poorly paved road, pilgrims and nature lovers go up and down for almost five centuries, searching for peace and for a light to illuminate their lives, heal them and giving them answer to their restlessness. And without breaking the harmony of nature nor disturbing the landscape, a cable car and funicular facilitates the access to thousands of people who also wish to reach the peak.
Seated on the top of the hill, like an imperturbable watchtower, a beautiful Sanctuary presides and look over the capital city and the green savannah. And at the end of the temple, in a crystal case, the beautiful and venerable image of the "Saint Christ Fallen by the whips and nailed into the Cross", presides silently over the gigantic and uninterrupted pilgrimage of its devotees.
[edit] Viacrucis
Since always Christians have accepted that the salvation of humanity is due to the voluntary devotion that Jesus does of his life in the Cross, in obedience to God the Father and by his love to all of us. Thus, the cross is not something added, is the only way to salvation and being disciple of the Lord implies to assume the reality of the devotion, the resignation, the service, the pain and the death.
Therefore, believers have felt a special devotion to the prayer of via crucis, which it's not another thing than to accompany and simultaneously contemplate Christ in his walk by the painful route towards his death in the Cross, with the certainty of resurrection. Pray walking and contemplating each of the 14 stations is to discover the love of God towards us, is to how that passion extends today in so many people who are condemned or suffering, and how in our personal life, the signs of the Passion of Christ occur.
Every believer feels himself as a pilgrim, every believer discovers his sins, fragility, pain and death; but he also discovers in the Cross of Christ the sense of those realities and, encouraged by the Resurrection of Christ, he walks towards the house of God the Father.
Monserrate’s viacrucis, in addition to representing the Passion of Christ with beautiful images brought from Florence (Italy), more than 60 years ago, it allows us to ascend in company of Christ and, contemplating the native nature of the sub- moorland, to arrive to the Sanctuary, place where the Lord is alive in Eucharist and yearn every day for the definitive encounter with God in heaven.
[edit] Transport
In a single journey of 5 minutes in a cable car or funicular, we transport you to the Monserrate Hill, 3,152 meters high.
[edit] Funicular
The funicular that transports daily the inhabitants of the capital and tourists, was finished in 1928 and inaugurated officially on August 18, 1929. Since that time, this small train has slowly ascended towards the peak of Monserrate, in a parsimonious way that allows its passengers the contemplation of nature and landscape that is being left behind as they reach the 3,152 meters above sea level, where its superior station lies.
Unlike streetcars and trolleys, that nowadays are museum pieces for the youngest, the history of Monserrate's funicular has been continued, step by step, meter to meter, 3.2 meters per second to be precise.
And like who tries to resist time, in December 2003, the funicular initiated a new phase with a more modern design in its cars, that now open their doors to the sky with a crystal ceiling, so that nobody can lose a single detail of the forests that surround the city, the beautiful panoramic view and beautiful sunsets.
[edit] Cable car
The cable car to Monserrate began its construction on August 13, 1953 and was inaugurated on September 27, 1955; in a bicable modality with two cabins that transport 40 passengers each.
In its trip of only 4 minutes, the cable car rises with its big windows on its sides, offering a great view of the hill that makes contrast with the beautiful panoramic of the city. The dense vegetation of the high trees tops leave us a sensation of direct bonding between earth and sky.
[edit] Restaurants
=== Saint Isidore’s House Restaurant === (Casa San Isidro)
In the top of the beautiful Monserrate Hill for the last 28 years, the natives of Bogotá have been enjoying the best French menu restaurant of the city.
Since then the restaurant has been famous by its present gastronomical seasons throughout the year.
Fish at Lent, French menu in May and June, lobster in September, wine and champagne in December; generating always new and delicious options for its commensals.
This colonial large house, whose decoration evokes the somnolent, calm and loving city of half of 19th century, is today, an ideal enclosure to taste delicate meats, birds, rabbits and fish, with the smooth murmur of the piano, or if you prefer, in our panoramic terrace, with the beautiful city Bogotá on your feet.
[edit] Saint Clair's House Restaurant
Located in the top of the Monserrate Hill with the beautiful city of Bogotá like main landscape, this restaurant offers its visitors the opportunity to taste Colombian plates such as Mero costeño, tamales tolimenses, bandeja paisa, cuajada con dulce de mamey, or its famous barbecues of chuletitas or chuletones. Also you will be able to enjoy unforgettable sunsets in company of the best "onces santafereñas".
Another one of the enchantments of this restaurant is that it works in a beautiful house constructed in 1924 in the town of Usaquén, and transferred to the Monserrate Hill in 1979.
[edit] Environment
[edit] Flora
The high Andean forest is located between 2.750 and 3.200 meters above sea level and it has temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees celsius. It has luxuriant vegetation with blossom trees and a huge variety of species, such as: Pegamoscos, gaque, canelo espino, arrayan and grape.
The lower Andean forest is located between 2.550 and 2.750 meters above sea level, as well as the high forest, it has a great variety of species, like: gomo, mano de oso, trompeto, cedrillo, raqué, different kind of ferns, frailejones, chusque, tagua and lichens among others.
[edit] Fauna
Most of the fauna found in the high Andean forest has disappeared because of the fires, tree felling and plantation of species like pine trees and eucalyptus. Nevertheless, small mammals such as forest mice, bats, marsupials, weasels, foxes and about 58 kinds of birds can be found.
The lower Andean forest has some weasels as well, runchos and cánidos. It also has some birds, like: mirla, wanderer, cernicalo, chirlobirlo, copetones, cucaracheros and a great variety of colibries.
[edit] Sports
About 4,500 walkers every month, exercise climbing the hill, in what is considered a sports routine. The record getting to Monserrate's top by walking is 18 minutes.
Pretty soon there will be a stretching zone available for the visitors.
