Iglesia y Convento de Santo Domingo

Sixteenth-century Dominican church with a gilded Rosario chapel

The Church of Santo Domingo sits one block north of Plaza de Bolívar and is the most architecturally rewarding of Tunja's fourteen colonial churches — though the competition is stiff. The main church is sober colonial Gothic on the outside, but the side Chapel of the Rosary (Capilla del Rosario) is one of the most extravagant gilded interiors in South America, every surface carved and overlaid with gold leaf in a style sometimes called "Mestizo baroque" for the way indigenous craftsmen reinterpreted European motifs.

The chapel was begun in the early 17th century and took over a hundred years to finish. The Virgin of the Rosary at the centre of the altar is the focal point. Like many of Tunja's churches it remains an active parish — visit outside service hours to see the interior properly. Photography is discouraged.

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The Chapel of the Rosary inside Santo Domingo has been called the most extravagant baroque interior in South America — every surface above eye level is carved, gilded, and inlaid. It took over a century to complete, with the most elaborate carving done by indigenous craftsmen working under Spanish Dominican direction.