٠٠:٠٣:٥٠Visitors flocked to the sweeping valleys and mountains of Catamarca on Sunday to admire the recently inaugurated statue of the Virgin of the Valley.
Footage shows groups attending mass in the statue's small chapel before climbing a winding staircase that leads to a breathtaking 360° view of the landscape surrounding the new architectural wonder.
The image is located atop the Ambato mountain range, where visitors are seen enjoying a panoramic view that includes the tourist town of El Rodeo.
"It took us seven years to build the image," said Walter D'Agostini, designer of the imposing wonder. "Not just the image, but we had to make the six kilometres walk in the mountains where the road is very steep and very complicated."
"The statue is in the same place as where the image was found 400 years ago," he added.
At 52 metres, the monument has become the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary in South America. Taller than Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, the statue was built to serve the local community and attract religious tourism to the province.
"It makes me very proud that she is in our province," Florencia, the visitor, said. "I am super happy to have this image of her here so that we can visit her, honour her, and thank her for everything she does for the people of Catamarca, for Argentina and for the world."
The Virgin Mary, or Lady of the Valley, is one of the most venerated devotions in Argentina, particularly in the northwest. Found in the early 1600s in a cave in Catamarca, the figure is deeply ingrained in Catamarca's Catholic faith and culture.
'For Argentina and for the world' - Large image of Virgin Mary inaugurated in Catamarca
Visitors flocked to the sweeping valleys and mountains of Catamarca on Sunday to admire the recently inaugurated statue of the Virgin of the Valley.
Footage shows groups attending mass in the statue's small chapel before climbing a winding staircase that leads to a breathtaking 360° view of the landscape surrounding the new architectural wonder.
The image is located atop the Ambato mountain range, where visitors are seen enjoying a panoramic view that includes the tourist town of El Rodeo.
"It took us seven years to build the image," said Walter D'Agostini, designer of the imposing wonder. "Not just the image, but we had to make the six kilometres walk in the mountains where the road is very steep and very complicated."
"The statue is in the same place as where the image was found 400 years ago," he added.
At 52 metres, the monument has become the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary in South America. Taller than Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, the statue was built to serve the local community and attract religious tourism to the province.
"It makes me very proud that she is in our province," Florencia, the visitor, said. "I am super happy to have this image of her here so that we can visit her, honour her, and thank her for everything she does for the people of Catamarca, for Argentina and for the world."
The Virgin Mary, or Lady of the Valley, is one of the most venerated devotions in Argentina, particularly in the northwest. Found in the early 1600s in a cave in Catamarca, the figure is deeply ingrained in Catamarca's Catholic faith and culture.
Visitors flocked to the sweeping valleys and mountains of Catamarca on Sunday to admire the recently inaugurated statue of the Virgin of the Valley.
Footage shows groups attending mass in the statue's small chapel before climbing a winding staircase that leads to a breathtaking 360° view of the landscape surrounding the new architectural wonder.
The image is located atop the Ambato mountain range, where visitors are seen enjoying a panoramic view that includes the tourist town of El Rodeo.
"It took us seven years to build the image," said Walter D'Agostini, designer of the imposing wonder. "Not just the image, but we had to make the six kilometres walk in the mountains where the road is very steep and very complicated."
"The statue is in the same place as where the image was found 400 years ago," he added.
At 52 metres, the monument has become the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary in South America. Taller than Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, the statue was built to serve the local community and attract religious tourism to the province.
"It makes me very proud that she is in our province," Florencia, the visitor, said. "I am super happy to have this image of her here so that we can visit her, honour her, and thank her for everything she does for the people of Catamarca, for Argentina and for the world."
The Virgin Mary, or Lady of the Valley, is one of the most venerated devotions in Argentina, particularly in the northwest. Found in the early 1600s in a cave in Catamarca, the figure is deeply ingrained in Catamarca's Catholic faith and culture.