The South American Church That Looks Like A European Castle

image credit: Sarah and Iain cc
If you take the immediate exterior of the Las Lajas Sanctuary in Colombia it doesn't look too much like an atypical South American Catholic church. Yet it retains many of their qualities: it is ornate, richly elaborate and, to many eyes, beautiful.
Just another minor basilica church in a country dotted with them, you might think. Yet take a few steps back from the door of the church and look down. You are in for a surprise.