Top 5 Historical Monuments in Tenerife
While you travel through Tenerife you will find marvelous and spectacular monuments, a reflection of the history of the island. A different opportunity to discover its architecture and culture. Are you ready?
San Juan Bautista castle
The castle of San Juan Bautista, located in the municipality of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is widely known as the Black Castle and is the best-preserved fortress of the island. You will find it at the Caleta de los Negros, near the César Manrique maritime park, and has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest and part of the Spanish historical heritage. The castle was built in the first half of the 17th century to avoid any landing and was rebuilt one century later due to the destructive effect of the waves. It has a circular tower, bulwarks with embrasures and sufficient space for five pieces of artillery. It is the second most important fortress of the island and its figure, clashing against the modern landscape, will surely surprise you.
Address:
Avenida La Constitución
38003 Santa Cruz de Tenerife
San Miguel Fortress
The San Miguel Fortress is another charming spot of the island that can be found in Garachico, a small and beautiful fishing village. The fortress was built in the 16th century to protect the village from any possible attack, since at the time it was Tenerife’s main commercial harbor. With a square foundation and masonry walls with embrasures, it managed to survive the volcanic eruption of 1706. It was in 1956 when the local government initiated the process to acquire the fortress and, years later, restored it and built the well-known “Plaza de Armas” in stone masonry. Declared a site of cultural interest in 1985, it is nowadays one of the cultural buildings of the Vila, hosting the Heritage Information Centre.
Address:
Avenida Tome Cano
38450 Garachico
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00h
Our Lady of Candelaria Basilica
The basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria worships the Patron Saint of the Canary Island, and is a meeting place for the native islanders that is also frequented by those visiting the island. The first temple, inaugurated in 1672, was destroyed by a fire in 1789. Its reconstruction began in 1959 by the architect Enrique Marrero Regalado. With a regionalist style, it boasts two towers in the main façade and another lateral tower, two main access doors and a spectacular 45 meters bell tower. Its interior features beautiful decorations, paintings and murals. It is one of the main Marian shrines and peregrination places of Spain and has been declared a site of cultural interest. You will also find next to it the Convent of the Dominican Friars, entrusted with the care of the Virgin of the Candelaria.
Address:
Plaza de la Patrona s/n
38530 Candelaria
Opening hours:
Mondays from 15:00 to 19:30h (mornings closed)
Tuesdays to Saturdays from 7:30 to 19h30.
Lercaro Palace
The Palace of Lercaro can be found in La Laguna, a city declared World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1999. It was built in the 16th century, a commission from Genovese merchants, the Lercaro family, who arrived at the island after the conquest. Its exterior features a masonry façade with central stone work, a tiled eave and a front door inspired by the Genovese Mannerism with the crest of the Lercaro family. In its interior you will enjoy the beautiful patio, surrounded by seven pillars and decorated will wooden panels featuring plant motives. Declared a site of cultural interest under the monument category, the palace is since 1993 one of the headquarters of the History and Anthropology Museum, through which you will discover the institutional, social, economic and cultural development of Tenerife between the 15th and 20th century.
Address:
Calle San Agustín, 22
38201 San Cristóbal de La Laguna
Opening Hours
Tuesdays to Sundays from 9.00 to 20:00 h
Sundays, Mondays and public holidays: from 10:00 to 17:00 h
Closed the 24th, 25th and 31st of December, the 1st and 6th of January and Mardi-Gras
Captains-Generals House
Also known as the Alvarado-Bracamonte House, the building belonged to this family between 1624 and 1635. Located in La Laguna, it was renamed afterward as the Captains-Generals House, since six captains-generals from the Canary Islands inhabited it between 1705 and 1723. Its façade features asymmetric windows framed in red masonry and an iron balcony with corbels. The interior features a big patio that leads to the different rooms. Declared a site of cultural interest in 1981 under the category of monument, it has now become San Cristóbal de La Laguna town hall, the office of tourism, the mayor’s office and the CICOP, the heritage conservation international center.
Address:
C/Obispo Rey Redondo, 1, San Cristobal de La Laguna
38201
Opening hours:
Mondays to Fridays from 11:00 to 13:00 and from 18:00 to 20:00 h.
Saturdays from 11:00 to 13:00 h.
Closed on Sundays
Take note and visit with us the historical monuments of the beautiful Tenerife!
Photos: Oficina de Turismo de Tenerife and Wikimedia.
Photographer: Mélanie Huguet.
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