Bogotá · CO

Divine Child Parish Sanctuary

The Divine Child Parish Sanctuary — known locally as the Iglesia del Veinte de Julio — is one of Bogotá's most important centers of pilgrimage and popular devotion. Built and maintained by the Salesians in the southern neighborhood of 20 de Julio, it draws thousands of faithful every Sunday who come to pray before a unique image of the Christ Child said to have worked countless miracles. The devotion began in 1935 when Salesian priest Juan del Rizzo commissioned a local artisan to craft a statue of the infant Jesus — modifying the well-known Infant Jesus of Prague iconography by removing the cross and painting a face inspired by a child of the workshop. The result is a Divine Child unlike any other in the world, and the faith placed in this particular image has spread from Bogotá to communities across Latin America and beyond.