Monserrate Bolivar Square

Monserrate Hill is the most well-known of Bogotá’s Eastern Hills. Alongside Guadalupe, it is one of the city’s guardian hills. Monserrate stands at an altitude of 3,152 meters and lies on the eastern mountain range. The hills of Bogotá, of sedimentary origin, are at least 16 million years old, with Cretaceous-age rocks belonging to the Guadalupe Group, geologically speaking. Until the mid-17th century, it was known as Cerro de Las Nieves. The Basilica of the Lord of Monserrate has been a site of religious pilgrimage since colonial times and is now also a natural, religious, and gastronomic attraction in the city. The hill can be ascended via a pedestrian path, cable car, or funicular.

Monserrate Hill is one of the most recognizable formations on the Bogotá savanna and one of the city’s symbols. It belongs to the Eastern Hills. The Spanish conqueror Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada founded the first Spanish settlement in the Bacatá region, at what is now Second Avenue and 13th Street, not far from Chorro de Quevedo, which was later called Pueblo Viejo, then known as Teusaquillo.

In 1620, the Fernández de Valenzuela family began building hermitages on the hill, which was known as Cerro de Las Nieves until the mid-18th century. Pedro Fernández de Valenzuela, with authorization from Juan de Borja y Armendia, President of the New Kingdom of Granada, built a chapel dedicated to the Holy Cross of Monserrate. Years later, Pedro Solís de Valenzuela founded a monastery dedicated to Santa María de la Cruz de Monserrate, evoking the Carthusian Monastery of Santa María de El Paular in Segovia, where his brother was a monk. In the second half of the 1650s, the chapel and its annex were expanded.

A path was also constructed, leading from the Church of Las Nieves to the top of the hill, featuring small chapels for pilgrims, reminiscent of the hills of Bethlehem in Andalusia and Montserrat in Catalonia. At the summit stands the Sanctuary of the Fallen Lord of Monserrate, a neo-colonial style building completed in 1925. It houses the sculpture of the Fallen Lord, created by Pedro de Lugo y Albarracín in the 16th century. The funicular railway to the summit was inaugurated on August 18, 1929, at 10 a.m.

With this Bogotá city tour, you can visit the most important tourist attractions and historical sites in just four hours. By visiting Plaza de Bolívar, in the city center, you’ll see the National Capitol, the Cathedral, the Palace of Justice, and the Casa de Nariño, the official residence of the Colombian president.

You’ll also explore La Candelaria, the historical and cultural heart of the city, where colonial and republican-style buildings line steep cobblestone streets filled with restaurants and cultural events. The tour also includes a visit to Quinta de Bolívar, a colonial house built around 1800 and home to Simón Bolívar for 10 years. Finally, you will ascend Monserrate Hill, the guardian of Bogotá, rising to 3,152 meters above sea level—an exciting journey by cable car.

The Sanctuary
Along a cobbled path, pilgrims and nature lovers ascend and descend in search of peace and a light to illuminate their personal path, to ease their troubles and answer their deepest concerns. Without disturbing the harmony of nature or the landscape, a cable car and funicular allow thousands to reach the summit and visit the beautiful sanctuary that overlooks both the capital and the lush green savanna below.

At the back of the temple, in a special alcove, the beautiful and venerable image of the “Fallen Christ, scourged and nailed to the Cross” silently presides over the ongoing and immense pilgrimage of His devotees.

Monserrate Hill is Bogotá’s ultimate symbol, located 3,152 meters above sea level. At its summit sits the sanctuary of the Fallen Lord of Monserrate, a pilgrimage destination for both Colombians and foreigners. Surrounded by lush vegetation, it offers the most breathtaking view of the Bogotá savanna.