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Cerrito (Cerrito)

Cerrito is a Colombian municipality in the Santander Department located in the province of García Rovira in northeastern Colombia. It is noted for its natural environment and for having emblematic places of the department such as the chapel of Jesus Nazareno and the ruins of a Spanish seminary in the village of Servitá.

In 1772, the population of Servitá was linked to the parish of Concepción. The inhabitants of the site "Aposentos del Cerrito", found it difficult to access the spiritual administration because the church of the new parish to which they had been attached was very far away, so the foundation of the municipality was approved in 1775 by the viceroy Manuel Guirior, in response to a community petition from the inhabitants of the area.

The inhabitants, led by Vicente Calderón, had sent to the archbishop of Santafé de Bogotá a petition to found their own parish, because the roads in the region were dangerous and impassable, making it difficult for people to attend religious services.

After the separation with Spain, the Cerritanos took part in several civil wars, for which the municipal council approved, on June 29, 1889, the resolution by means of which the council, the employees and all the inhabitants of the Municipality of Cerrito were consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.