However, Gloria Donado, a 70-year-old woman from Soledad, said that all the memories and experiences of her life are at risk of disappearing due to the poor condition that the church has been in for several years.
“Every time I pass by the town square, I feel sad when I see the state the church is in. Years go by and one thinks that things will get better in Soledad, but we seem more and more like a village, without a sense of belonging to the surroundings. It is worrying that they tell us, the people, that there is no money to fix it. What happens is that they waste it and do not do things right. They have done some repairs to the stairs and walls of the church, but it looks worse than ever. There is even a black wall at the entrance that cannot be removed with anything,” he said.
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She also nostalgically recalled her wedding experience when the temple was in good condition.
“My current husband lived in Barranquilla and I brought him to Soledad for the San Antonio festivities that take place in the town square because of the importance of the church. We met here and then everything worked out so we could get married in the temple. Now it is impossible for stories like this to happen because the church has lost its appeal,” she added.
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Meanwhile, Maria Donado, who meets with her friends every afternoon around the church, mentioned that symbols of the municipality such as the church have been disappearing in recent years.
“The banks, the old market, the museum and soon the church have disappeared over time from this very important part of the municipality. More attention is being paid to residential complexes and commercial areas. I know that the golden years of the temple have passed, but religion is something that cannot be allowed to die just like that with the abandonment of the church,” he said.
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Hugo Bermejo, 70, said the church remains important to parishioners in the town.
“There are still people who come for baptisms and weddings, we even had our patron saint festivals here despite everything, we must not let it disappear,” he said.
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Emilio Gutiérrez, a resident of the municipality, said that the church has been losing its appeal, which is why the area has been devalued and filled with insecurity.
“As a good Catholic, I go to church every Sunday, but there was a time when I distanced myself a bit, since the church was like a beacon of light in the middle of the darkness of the municipality, so after its deterioration, insecurity overflowed because it seemed abandoned and to this day it remains that way. The church is a place for family integration and if parents no longer come with their children, then we are creating adults for the future without a sense of belonging because of their symbols,” he said.
