Lavalleja Department

Lavalleja is a department in southeast Uruguay. It's known for its rugged countryside, characterized by granite hills, caves and rivers. In the departmental capital Minas, the 19th-century Catedral de Minas presides over leafy Plaza Libertad square. On the city's outskirts, the Cerro del Verdún hill is home to the Santuario Nacional Nuestra Señora del Verdún, an important pilgrimage site.