CHURCH SAN FRANCISCO DE ASÍS
visitor´s guide

Between 1599 and 1608, a chapel was built in Puerto de la Cruz, the costs of which were covered by the Almojarife (tax collector) of that place, Don Juan de Texera, who was therefore the owner of the aforementioned religious building dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.

On 23 September 1608, Don Juan de Texera ceded the chapel to the Franciscan Order.

In 1609, the Franciscans took effective possession of the chapel, annexing it to the convent church.

In 1967, the convent of San Francisco was the victim of a raging fire, from which only the chapel and the church were saved. The temple has now been restored and was declared a historical and artistic monument of interest to the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands in 1986.

The layout of the chapel and church is quite original. It does not consist of two rectangular naves, but rather one and a half; the half nave corresponds to the old chapel of San Juan Bautista, which is therefore the oldest part of the convent and where the visit will begin.

Inside, the chapel is divided into four chapels separated by Tuscan-Romanesque columns and lowered semicircular arches. All are independent and have their own altar, altarpiece and ceiling made of beautiful and varied wooden coffering, almost always octagonal (eight-sided).

The two naves are separated and connected by four semicircular arches.

There are eight altarpieces in the temple (four in the smaller nave and another four in the larger one), with some sculptures of great interest.