Candelaria is a town on the east coast of Tenerife where the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria stands on the Plaza de la Patrona de Canarias beside nine huge bronze statues of the Guanche menceyes, or kings (Tenerife tourist board, read 7 November 2026). The basilica is open from 7:30 to 19:30 Tuesday to Sunday and from 15:00 to 19:30 on Mondays, and it is about 20 minutes from Santa Cruz by motorway.
Highlights
The basilica
A regionalist church with three naves, a Mudejar-style ceiling and a dome 25 m high over the transept; the central tower is 45 m high and has a Canarian balcony. The main chapel houses the Virgin of Candelaria, and murals are by José Aguiar.
The Virgin's story
A Gothic sculpture of the Virgin washed up in the Güímar valley in the late 14th century, about 100 years before the conquest, and the Guanche worshipped it as Chaxiraxi. A flood destroyed it in 1826 and the current figure was made by Fernando Estévez in 1827. She was proclaimed patron saint of the Canary Islands in 1599.
The nine menceyes
The bronze statues on the square beside the basilica, made by the Tenerife sculptor José Abad.
The Dominican monastery
Built in 1803 after an earlier convent burned down; Dominican monks have served as Candelaria's priests since 1530.
The Cave of Achbinico (San Blas)
Past the monastery, where the Guanche placed their figure of the Virgin; it has great archaeological importance.
Practical info
Tips
- The feast of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria is on 2 February, and her appearance is commemorated on 15 August, when people from across the island make a pilgrimage to the basilica. Hours may change around those dates, especially in February and August, so check Mass times with the basilica. For another historic town on the island, see La Laguna, and for the Güímar valley where the Virgin is said to have washed ashore, the Pyramids of Güímar.
How to get there
Plaza Patrona de Canarias, 38530 Candelaria. By car about 20 minutes from Santa Cruz on the TF-1 motorway. By bus, TITSA routes 120, 122, 123 and 124 serve Candelaria from Santa Cruz and nearby towns.
Opening hours
Nearby
See on the map →
Comments
No comments yet.