The town of La Orotava in Tenerife

The richness and beauty of La Orotava, historic center of the seventeenth / eighteenth century did recognize “artistic history together” by the Spanish Government and the city was placed on the "inventory protection of European cultural heritage." Its old quarter houses beautiful mansions adorned facade richly wrought balconies and old churches accessible to the public some.

The city is known for making beautiful carpets of flowers and colored earths on the occasion of Corpus Christi.

The town of La Orotava has the largest area of the island that is there most of the National Park El Teide, considered a unique natural area of Spain and the world.

The main economic activity is agriculture which employs a fifth of the workforce with three key crops: potatoes, bananas and grapes. The rest of its economic activities mainly concern the services sector and especially in relation to tourism, trade and construction.

La Orotava was once called in French “L’Orotave."

It has an area of ​​207.31 square kilometers at an altitude of 390 m and a population of 39,876 inhabitants; it is 35 km by road from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and 6 km east of Puerto de la Cruz.

However, the terrible earthquakes of 1704 and 1705 due to the eruption of the volcano Güímar the left in a state of ruins around 1758.

Reconstruction of existing elements began about 1768 and ended in 1788. This is especially thanks to donations Canarian emigrants, especially those who had emigrated to Cuba, called “indianos” that the church was rebuilt.

It was declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument in 1948.

The exterior is distinguished by its façade flanked by two towers of 24 meters high topped with a steeple. The two towers are built back from the lateral plane of the facade. The church is distinguished for its dome solemn 16-sided which gives the sensation of being octagonal as it has eight large windows, above which rises a dome crowned with a neoclassical style lantern.

Inside the church, the three naves are separated by sturdy columns to ionic base, crowned with Corinthian capitals, all with different decoration. The crossroads of three aisles ends with a dome.

The sanctuary is chaired by an enormous tabernacle, one of the most beautiful of the Canary Islands, made ​​in Genoa in 1823 in marble and jasper in the workshop of Giuseppe Gaggini (1791-1867). The pulpit, also in marble and jasper from the same workshop.

The church has six altarpieces including that of La Concepción deserves special mention. Located in the nave of El Evangelio, it is the work of Francisco Acosta Granadilla and it was already in the first temple. The statue of the Inmaculada Concepción was made ​​in Italy by Angelo Olivari (first half of the nineteenth century).

The statue of the altarpiece of El Señor Predicador located in the chapel of the nave of the Epistles date of 1667 and is the work of sculptor Bals García Pulido.

Other statues should be mentioned:

• San Juan Evangelista, María Magdalena and La Dolorosa, of Luján Pérez
• San Pedro Apóstol, one of the masterpieces of the sculptor from La Orotava, Fernando Estévez

The church also has a large pictorial heritage distinguished by the following paintings:

• Entierro de Cristo and Ecce Homo, Mannerist works of the sixteenth century of Cristóbal Ramírez that can be admired in the sacristy.
• La Inmaculada con San Ignacio de Loyola y San Francisco, of Javier de Gaspar de Quevedo near Baptistry.
• Desposios de la Virgen con San José of the painter from La Orotava, Cristóbal hernández de Quintana, in the nave of the Epistles.

The Parish Museum has a complete collection of silverware with items such as:

• A monstrance of Gothic Manueline early sixteenth century.
• The canopy stretchers for Corpus Christi of the goldsmith Damián de Castro.
• A monstrance made ​​in Cordoba from 1768 that we must also Damián de Castro, rococo style, commissioned by the Bishop of the Canary Francisco Xavier Delgado Venegas.

Address: Calle Tomás Pérez, s/n 38300 Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tenerife)

Phone: 00 34 922 330 187

Address: 17 rue Carrera.

It is located close to the church of La Concepción. It is distinguished by its inner courtyard with its columns with Corinthian capitals.

It is in front of the house that were made ​​for the first time in 1847 the famous carpet of flowers on the brilliant idea of Leonor del Castillo Monteverde, as recalled by the plate at the entrance of the house.

Address: 6 rue de El Colegio.

This large building dating from the sixteenth and seventeenth century is regarded by many as one of the most representative of traditional Canarian architecture. It stands for baroque decoration of wood, especially its balconies.

Inside, it contains an interesting sculptural ensemble entitled Adoración de los Pastores (Genoese school of the seventeenth century).

Address: Street El Colegio

The chapel is dedicated to the patron saints of La Orotava, San Isidro and Santa María de la Cabeza, two statues dating from the nineteenth century and that one has the great sculptor, a native of La Orotava, Fernando Estévez. These statues president annually Feast of San Isidro Labrador, one of the largest of the Canary Islands, held the Sunday after the National Corpus Christi.

Icons of the Mercy.

The church was destroyed by fire in 1801 and it remains that some architectural elements like wide porch and the staircase to the cloister.

The many works of art that contained the old church are distributed in the churches of La Orotava. The small present church, however, retained some statues:

• El Señor del Huerto de Pedro Murga, which dates from the second half of the eighteenth century
• Nuestra Señora de la Caridad, a statue made ​​in Seville from the early seventeenth century
• San Francisco de Asis of Fernando Estévez.

Address: 21 rue San Francisco

Phone: 00 34 922 330 200

According to Viera, the convent was built by Brother Baltasar de Molina. Construction began in 1671 on the lands of the old hermitage of San Roque. It has three naves and a Mudejar roof inspiration. It has a basilica form. It is distinguished by its triple gate. The central part, the very marked baroque style, is decorated with Corinthian capitals with palm leaves.

Inside, the cross coffered ceiling has a magnificent polychrome and decorated with high relief of Nuestra Señora de Gracia.

One can also admire an interesting high choir and six beautiful reredos which are distinguished for their Baroque style and statues they support.

The portal of the former convent of Nuestra Señora de Gracia, three stone body, forms a right angle with the church facade. The second level of the portal is distinguished by the artistic wood carvings and the two reliefs representing Nuestra Señora de Gracia and San Agustín.

This is where now stands the Cultural Centre San Agustín.

It existed from 1606 to this place a hermitage dedicated to San Juan del Farrobo raised to the category of parish in 1681. The present church was built between 1728 and 1747 on the grounds of the hermitage.

With its renaissance style and shape of a Latin cross, it is distinguished by its bell tower topped by a pyramidal dome. On the wall facing the street Fernando Fuentes, the original balcony you can admire one of the sacristy, below which is a door whose center boxes have skulls covered in tiaras, hats and royal crowns at the very marked baroque style.

The temple is rich in statues:

• In the nave of the Gospel, the altarpiece of El Calvario is presided over by a statue of Christ made ​​in Seville in the late seventeenth, the school Martínez Montañez. It is accompanied by statues of La Dolorosa by sculptor Fernando Estévez, and San Juan de Juján Pérez.
• In the chapel at the end of the nave is the Cristo en la Columna, one of the most revered statues of La Orotava that we owe to the famous sculptor of the seventeenth century Seville, Pedro Roldán.
• At the same baroque altarpiece, we find the Viergen de Gloria, one of the most accomplished works of the sculptor of Gran Canaria Luján Pérez.
• In the nave of the Epistles is the statue of La Inmaculada that we owe to Gabriel de la Mata, dating from the last third of the seventeenth century, and the altarpiece of the Virgen del Carmen with its statue of Luján Pérez neoclassical features.
• The boss of the temple chapel San Juan Bautista deserves special mention with its rococo altarpiece of Carlos Acosta and his anonymous statue made ​​in Genoa in the late seventeenth century.

Among the many church boards, should be mentioned:

• In particular paintings on wood Virtudes Teologales on the arch leading to the sanctuary.
• The “Crucifixión” by Cristobál Ramírez that can be admired in the sacristy.

Regarding silverware, Baroque urn of the Santo Entierro of the seventeenth century and the shafts of Corpus Christi in polychrome wood, neoclassical, deserve special mention.

Just beside the church is a small place, the place of Fernando Fuentes, where stands the monument to the sculptor and Venezuelan politician Rómulo Betancourt, son of an inhabitant of La Orotava who emigrated to Venezuela.

Address: Street San Juan

Phone: 00 34 922 333 935

Visiting hours: hours of worship

Dominican Convent of San Benito Abad, dating from the seventeenth century, was built on the site of the old hermitage of San Benito. It has a Latin cross to which were added over the centuries eleven chapels. The set retains its baroque style Canarian with Mudejar influences.

Found on the front of the dog’s Dominican church symbols with a flashlight and a globe. Inside, it is distinguished by its richly decorated raised choir, one of the most beautiful of the Canary Islands for its wooden decorations and painting on wood of the Virgin of La Consolación, a Flemish work of the school Antwerp sixteenth century.

Address: 34 rue Tomás Zerolo

Phone: 00 34 922 352 906

It now houses the Latin American Craft Museum, with five exhibition rooms on two floors where only part of his huge heritage is exposed: musical instruments, textile crafts, ceramics and the folk art of America and the Philippines.

The Museum in its fund part of the textile collection “García Cabrejo” which includes objects of the fifteenth century and more than seven thousand ceramic objects from the Ibero-American Cooperation Institute.

Visiting its showrooms can admire the beauty of the convent, which has on the upper floor and a coffered ceiling in cloister, an interesting balcony that is supported by elegant Tuscan columns.

Museum of Latin American crafts

Address: Calle Tomas Zerolo, 34 - La Orotava

Phone: 00 34 922 323 376

Open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 17 pm and Saturday from 9 am to 14 pm.

Address: Street Juan de Padrón (next to the old theater Power).

Phone: 00 34 922 330 234

La Casa de Torrehermosa is named after the Marquis de Torrehermosa, Don José Mesa Lugo y Llarena Cabrera y Calderón (last shuts the door ...), who built in the seventeenth century along with the convent and the St. Dominic’s Church. The title of Marquis was granted in 1671 by King Charles II.

The outstanding features of this home are: the wooden balcony on the first floor ceiling, Mudejar, and the family crest placed on the facade.

At Torrehermosa, there is a very comprehensive exhibition of craft production of Tenerife, with more than 1,500 different items. Of craftspeople working in a workshop, under the eyes of the public, and offer explanations to people interested in specific features of various works.

Address: Street Tomás Zerolo, 27

Phone: 00 34 922 334 013

Web: www.artenerife.com

Visit hours: Monday to Friday: 9 am 30-18: 30 pm (free admission)

Saturday: 9 am 30-14 pm.

It was built on the site of the convent of Poor Clares of Saint Joseph which remains vaults in the basement.

Phone: 00 34 922 330 050

Visiting hours: 9 am to 14 pm

This is the square of the town hall that is conducted annually volcanic sand carpet 870 square meters. This is one of the highlights of the celebrations of La Octava del Corpus Christi (the Octave of Corpus Christi) which takes place on Thursday following the liturgical celebration.

Although the first flower carpet dates back to 1847, is March 1906 that was performed for the first time the carpet instead of City Hall on the occasion of the visit of King Alfonso XIII. But it was not until 1912 that really began the tradition of making a carpet on the square in honor of the Divine Majesty. One has these mats to famous artists Felipe Machado and Benitéz de Lugo.

A small museum is also to honor this work made from flowers or land and colored sands.

Address: Calle San Francisco, 5 - La Orotava

Entry fee: 1 euro.

Liceo de Taoro

Calle San Agustin, 6 - La Orotava

The Calle de San Francisco where you can see beautiful wooden balconies typical Canarian.

Historic buildings of the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, respectively. Beautiful patios and beautiful balconies.

These two houses are rectangular in shape and they have a courtyard with a porch and an interior gallery. They are distinguished by the woodwork on the beautiful outdoor balconies which are among the most beautiful of the island, and the coffered ceilings of the rooms and the interior gallery.

They currently house the Eladio Machado handicrafts center and the center of documentation and research on handicrafts of Spain and America. comprehensive exhibition of openwork embroidery and other, as well as Canarian crafts in general. Tourists can not only buy local products - including regional costumes - but also admire the work of lace.

Address: Calle San Francisco, 3 and 4

Phone: 00 34 922 330 629

Web: www.casa-balcones.com

Visiting hours: House at No. 3; Monday to Saturday from 8 am 30-18: 30 pm.

This is a building with two bodies bass Renaissance house which is distinguished by its depressed portal flanked by pilasters. The view from the terrace is interesting.

In the House of Molina or the Tourist House, you can see a small model of the famous carpets in volcanic soil of La Orotava. there we find an outdoor patio where are organized craft exhibitions, especially volcanic sand carpet.

Terraced house situated in nº 5 of the street was built several decades later, in 1670, and it now houses the Centre for Documentation and Research on handicrafts of Spain and America.

Access to the first floor via a small staircase that leads to a large gallery serving the decorated pieces of furniture and antiques.

Address: Calle Hermano Apolinar, 5.

Address: Calle Hermano Apolinar, 37.

Some of them have preserved the ancient masonry of channels where the water flowed.

Address: Street Doctor Domingo González García Street San Francisco Street and Colegio

The Hijuela del Bótanico is a romantic garden of 4,000 square meters, created in 1788 by the Marquis of Villanueva del Prado as annex of the Botanical Garden of La Orotava which is now in the municipality of Puerto de la Cruz.

Schedule of the Botanical Garden is located just behind the city and its entrance hall to the street Tomás Pérez.

Visits from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 14 pm.

Open daily from 8 am to 21 pm in winter to 22 pm in summer.

Soon, she was a justice-dependent La Laguna, and was founded this village, developing around the chapel Accion de Gracia, and then it gradually spread south to the Villa de Arriba or neighborhood El Farrobo. Are built the temple of La Concepción, the convents of San Lorenzo, San Benito and San José and civilian buildings.

In 1648 Philip IV called the Villa Exempt independent of La Laguna, with its own mayor. And in 1681, the church of San Juan de El Farrobo is elevated to parish, separating from La Concepcion.

At the beginning of this century, Alfonso XIII gives it, with the approval of his shield, the title of Very Noble and Loyal Villa de La Orotava.

Phone: 00 34 922 323 041

Website: www.villadelaorotava.com

Address: 17 Carrera Escultor Estévez - La Orotava

Phone: 00 34 922 322 793

Websites: www.saborcanario.net - www.hotelorotava.com