The Capilla del Sagrario, attached to the north side of the Catedral Primada on Plaza Bolivar, is older and more architecturally interesting than the cathedral itself. Built between 1660 and 1700, it is considered the finest example of the Spanish colonial baroque style in Bogota, with a richly ornamented facade and interior paintings by Gregorio Vásquez de Arce y Ceballos, the most important colonial painter in Colombia.
The interior is dim and richly coloured — gilded altarpieces, oil paintings of biblical scenes, and the patina of three and a half centuries of devotion. The chapel functions as an active place of worship and is open to visitors between services. Free entry.