
Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria
Candelaria
This imposing domed church dates from 1959 and sits at the edge of the town centre, overlooking a rocky beach and flanked by a plaza where nine huge…
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Just 18km south of Santa Cruz is Candelaria, a charming small fishing village famed for its Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, home to a wooden statue of the Virgin of Candelaria called the Black Madonna, the patron saint of the entire Canary archipelago. The town's name comes from an effigy of the Virgin holding a candlestick that was found on a beach by two Guanche goatherds in 1392. The town is particularly worth a visit on a Sunday, when the atmosphere takes on an almost-pilgrimage feel as locals throng to the church to attend mass, and the surrounding small shops, selling religious artefacts, flowers, souvenirs and similar, stay open all day. Don't bother visiting the drab modern adjacent resort of Las Caletillas, which has little to commend it aside from a decent-size black pebble beach.
Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria
Candelaria
This imposing domed church dates from 1959 and sits at the edge of the town centre, overlooking a rocky beach and flanked by a plaza where nine huge…
Candelaria
Just past the basilica, steps lead up the right-hand side to the signposted Centro Alfarero de Candelaria, a small and very informative pottery museum,…
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