Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Candelaria, Colonial Catholic chapel in Sabaletas, Montebello, Colombia.
Capilla de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria is a rectangular colonial chapel of 535 m² in Sabaletas, Montebello. Its walls are tapia 80 cm thick, plastered with lime and dung, and its floor is compacted earth. Three naves are divided by wooden pillars on brick masonry, supporting a two-slope clay-tile roof without dome or skylight. The simple facade has a small espadaña, a round-arched doorway and a window above it; the atrium is a stone platform of three steps.
The chapel was built in the early 17th century during Colombia's colonial period as a place of worship. It gained national monument status in 1984 through an official decree recognizing its historical importance.
The chapel displays colonial altarpieces featuring the Virgin of Candelaria at the center with statues of Saint Barbara and Saint Anthony. These religious artworks shape the interior and reflect how the community honored these holy figures.
The chapel stands at the end of the single narrow, irregular street of Sabaletas, on a high plateau; the street leads directly to it. The floor inside is compacted earth and the walls are 80 cm thick, so surfaces are uneven and cool. The atrium is reached by a stone platform of three steps, which is the only stepped access to the entrance.
The chapel's silver monstrance is a liturgical vessel for displaying the consecrated host, not a chalice. Beside it are kept old vestments and ornaments, a small Christ figure carved in Quito, the bells, and several paintings. The Quito figure points to links between this Antioquia hamlet and workshops of the Audiencia of Quito.
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