Hundreds of devout Catholics have flocked to see what has been called an apparition of the Virgin Mary in the form of algae growing where water leaks out of a pipe.
The alleged miracle was spotted by a street in Nobsa, in the central-western Colombian department of Boyaca.
A young boy passing through the street was the first to discover the small leak of water running down the side of the brick wall of a canal, with algae growing in the form of the robed virgin.
The vision of the Virgin Mary first appeared in a small leak of water running down the side of the brick wall of a canal from a pipe
It was first discovered by a boy, whose mother said he heard a sound like a trapped animal
As he began to take pictures, the boy said the image moved and he then knelt and prayed in fear before running to tell his mother
The woman said she then went to check with her own eyes and ‘it turned out to be true’
The mother of the young lad who witnessed the supposed appearance reported her son’s story to local media.
She said: ‘He says that when he crossed the bridge, he heard a sound, as if there were a small animal trapped there.
‘When he turned to look, my son saw the image of the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe. He says that he immediately walked through the stream and began to take pictures of the image.
‘At that moment, the image moved, and he was afraid, he knelt and prayed, and then he ran out to tell me. I was in the warehouse and I went to check it with my own eyes, because initially, I did not believe him, but it turned out to be true.’
Word of the appearance rapidly passed through the community and locals began to flock to see it
One local man said locals were ‘paralyzed’ with shock at see the image of the Virgin Mary
As well as locals, the apparent image of the Virgin Mary has also attracted tourists
The local church is carrying out all the procedures to see if the algae can be certified as a ‘miracle’
A local priest said the church must act ‘prudently’ before certifying a miracle
Our Lady of Guadaloupe is a title used for the Virgin Mary associated with an image of her in a church in Mexican capital Mexico City.
Word of the appearance rapidly passed through the community.
Local man Hugo Fuertes told Colombian media: ‘The people there were shocked, almost paralysed. The news spread everywhere, and began the procession of people praying the holy rosary to the image of the Virgin.’
However, the local church is asking for people to wait for the miracle to be certified.
Father Victor Leguizamon said: ‘When there is an apparition, one must act prudently until the competent authority certifies the authenticity.’
While the church is carrying out all the necessary protocols to determine if it is indeed a miraculous apparition, the image has attracted a pilgrimage of hundreds of parishioners and tourists.