Candelaria Basilica

Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria
	; The Basilica of Our Lady Candelaria as seen from the north
Data
place	Candelaria ( Tenerife , Spain )
architect	José Enrique Marrero Regalado
Construction year	1949 to 1959
height	Crossing dome (without lantern) 26 m, Corner towers 35 m, bell tower 45 m
Floor space	1058 m²
Coordinates	28 ° 21 '4.6 " N , 16 ° 22' 11.2" W Coordinates: 28 ° 21 '4.6 " N , 16 ° 22' 11.2" W.
particularities
	Basilica minor

The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria ("Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria"), also Basílica de la Virgen de Candelaria , is located in the municipality of Candelaria about 20 kilometers south of Santa Cruz de Tenerife by the sea. The pilgrimage church was built for the miraculous image of the Virgin of Candelaria . In 2011 the church was awarded the title of minor basilica . The building is registered in the Registro de Bienes de Interés Cultural (Register of Spanish Cultural Assets) and is the largest church in the Canary Islands dedicated to the Virgin Mary . The shrine is visited by 2.5 million pilgrims and tourists annually.

Predecessor churches

The miraculous image of the Virgin of Candelaria was probably found around the year 1400 on the beach of Chimisay (today Socorro) about four kilometers south of today's basilica. The Mencey ("tribal prince") of Güímar brought it to his cave in the Barranco de Chinguaro. About 50 years later, according to tradition, a Christian Guanche built a place of worship in the Achbinico cave (today the cave of St. Blaise ). After the conquest of the island of Tenerife by the troops of Queen Isabella I of Castile, the Adelantado Alonso Fernández de Lugo took part in a Holy Mass in the cave on February 2, 1497, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, with his people large numbers of Guanches were baptized. An altar was then erected in the church.

In the following years a chapel was built near the cave on the site of today's basilica, which was consecrated on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in 1526 after the miraculous image was transferred there . In 1530 Dominicans took over the chapel and the miraculous image. They built a monastery next to the chapel. In 1596 King Philip II declared himself patron of the image of the Virgin of Candelaria and the chapel.

When a new church was built on the site of the chapel in 1669, the saint was temporarily venerated again in the cave of St. Blaise. The new three-aisled basilica was consecrated on February 2, 1672. When the building burned down on February 15, 1789, the image of grace was placed in the 15 m deep, 6 m wide and 5 m high cave of St. Blaise brought back. In order to offer more space for the numerous pilgrims, the cave was extended by a building in front.

On January 1, 1797, construction began on a new monastery church on the eastern part of the site of the burned down basilica. After the completion and transfer of the miraculous image there in 1803, the construction of another pilgrimage church began. But the project had to be canceled in 1818 due to lack of money. When, in 1826, after extensive rainfall, large parts of the inventory of the monastery church were washed away by the masses of water that shot down the Barranco de Candelaria, the miraculous image of the Virgin of Candelaria was washed into the sea. A sculpture created by the sculptor Fernando Estévez took its place.

In 1928 a new basilica began to be built south of the monastery on the Cerro de la Magdalena. However, the construction work was stopped in 1932, as the site proved unsuitable for a structure of the planned size. Instead, work on the project next to the monastery church, which was canceled in 1818, was resumed from 1934. In 1936 this construction work was also stopped again. In 1949, all the building remains on the property next to the monastery church were demolished and a basilica was built, which was completed in 1959.

The basilica from 1959

North facade

West facade

The native of Güímar Domingo Pérez Cáceres was ordained Bishop of San Cristóbal de La Laguna in September 1947. He was the first native bishop of this diocese. Even before his appointment as bishop, he advocated the construction of a new pilgrimage church.

The architect José Enrique Marrero Regalado from Granadilla de Abona was commissioned to design the new church. The foundation stone was laid on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in 1949. José Enrique Marrero Regalado directed the construction work. After his death in 1956, his nephew Félix Sáenz Marrero took over this task.

Exterior view

The north facade facing the Plaza de la Patrona de Canarias is divided into five areas:

The 45 m high bell tower has a clock. There are two sound openings on each side, separated by a winding column. Underneath is a covered walkway all around. There is a cross with a halo on each side of the tower.
Between the bell tower and the side entrance portal, at the height of the altar and the sacristy, there is an intermediate piece, with three arched windows in the upper area, which are separated by sinuous columns and a quatrefoil window in the middle area.
The side entrance portal is at the height of the transept. It is crowned by a cross over a pediment. Underneath there is a vertical gable , in the middle of which an arched niche, surrounded by an elliptical border, can be seen. The middle and lower part of the building element is formed by a semicircular arch with a round window, which is framed with a wreath of shell shapes.
The exterior view of the aisle of the basilica is divided by two pilasters, each terminating with two obelisks . The three areas are limited at the top by a gable. There is a four-pass window in each of the three areas. The main nave can be recognized by the three semicircular windows in the upper aisle. The pent roofs of the side aisles are covered with tiles , like the gable roof of the main aisle
The right corner tower of the north facade is 35 m high like its counterpart. In the upper part it has an arched window and a little balcony with a wooden lattice. Like the bell tower, the middle part of the corner tower shows a cross with a halo.

The west facade is divided into three areas, the two corner towers and the entrance portal. The corner towers on the west side correspond to the appearance of the corner tower on the north side. The appearance of the main portal on the west side also corresponds to the side portal on the north side.

On the south side of the basilica is the steep slope to the Cerro de la Magdalena, so that the church cannot be viewed from the south side. The Dominican monastery adjoins the basilica on the east side.

Interior of the basilica

Main nave, crossing and chancel

The church corresponds to the building type of a three-aisled basilica with transept, crossing dome and chancel. The pillars between the main nave and the side aisles have a cruciform base. They consist of reinforced concrete and are clad with natural stone up to the approach of the arches . The wall surfaces are plastered. The floor consists of marble slabs . Tea, the heartwood of the Canarian pine, was used for the wooden paneling at the entrances . The ceilings are covered with stucco. The patterns, but not the colors, correspond to the traditional Canarian blankets in Mudejar style .

The miraculous image of the Virgin of Candelaria is located in a separate chapel behind the chancel . On high holidays and before processions it is placed under a canopy in the chancel.

The free-standing box altar is clad with slabs of chased silver. In the chancel there is a niche closed with celosias on both sides . The pulpit on the right side of the crossing is accessible through the pillar.

The Virgin of Candelaria is the patron saint of the Canary Islands. Therefore, the coats of arms of the four small Canary Islands, Fuerteventura , Lanzarote , La Gomera and El Hierro are placed in the spandrels of the crossing dome . The side surfaces show the coats of arms of the three large islands, La Palma , Gran Canaria and Tenerife as well as the coat of arms of Bishop Domingo Pérez Cáceres. The tombstone of this bishop is also embedded in the floor in the crossing.

At the head of the left aisle is the entrance to a staircase with a double flight of stairs that leads to the Chapel of the Virgin of Candelaria. Between the two flights of stairs there is a baptismal font in which the first Guanches are said to have been baptized. There is a choir gallery in the first yoke at the main portal .

Chapels

Sacrament chapel

The chapels, with access from the right aisle, were only built after 1959.

In the right aisle, opposite the side exit, there is access to the sacrament chapel . The passage is provided with a richly carved grille. The front of the chapel is decorated with a mural depicting the Last Supper .
Another chapel, which can be reached from the right aisle and is also separated by a wooden grille, is the confessional chapel with the Cristo de la Recociliación by the sculptor Ricardo Rivera Martínez from 1936.
The Sala de las Velas (Room of the Candles) opens from the right aisle near the main entrance.

Wall painting

The wall paintings in the basilica are by José Aguiar García. The painter was born in Cuba in 1895, but grew up on La Gomera .

The picture on the front wall of the main sanctuary is framed by a semicircular arch on two pilasters that take up the full width of the sanctuary. In the center there is a view of the Chapel of the Virgin of Candelaria. The opening in the wall ends with a semicircular arch on winding columns. The stucco framing of the opening is gold-plated. The mural is divided into two levels, the heavenly and the earthly. In the lower right area some Dominican friars and the Bishop Pérez Cáceres are depicted.
On the front of the left aisle is a scene from the life of St. Father Anchietas. The Jesuit José de Anchieta (1534–1597) from San Cristóbal de La Laguna worked in Brazil .
At the front of the right aisle there is a depiction from the life of St. Peter of Betancurt , a saint who was born in the Canary Islands. He worked in Guatemala .
On the upper wall in the stairway to the altar niche is a representation of the miraculous multiplication of bread.
The front wall of the sacrament chapel is adorned with a painting of the adoration of the altar sacrament.

Architectural style

The architectural style of the church is called "Arquitectura regionalista canario". This style developed since the 1920s. One aim of the architects was to use and highlight particular features of the traditional architecture of the Canary Islands, which date back to Renaissance and Baroque buildings. In the case of the basilica in Candelaria, these are the handling of the great tower and the approaches of the walkways to the two other towers. The roofs were covered in the traditional way with " monk and nun ". The wall edges were built with house stones, while the wall surfaces were built like plastered dry stone walls. This peculiarity is indicated by the painting on the basilica. The construction from the 20th century is entirely made of concrete or hollow blocks. The window fillings, which were traditionally made of wood, were made of concrete, but they were also emphasized by contrasting colors. Inside the building, the design of the ceiling in particular shows the influence of the Mudejar style widespread in the Canary Islands . The patterns carved and often intertwined in old ceiling designs are not copied, but formed from cement plaster and then painted light blue and white in order to avoid any suspicion of forgery. The same applies to the niches in the chancel, which are closed with celosías . In the sacrament chapel, which leads off the right aisle, there is a real wooden ceiling in the Mudejar style, as found in many old churches in the Canary Islands.

literature

María José Ramos Rodríguez et al .: La Basílica de Candelaria - Crónica de una construción . 1st edition. Ayuntamiento de Candelaria, Candelaria 2012, ISBN 978-84-616-1174-4 , pp. 460 (Spanish).

Web links

Commons : Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Basílica de Ntra. Sra. de Candelaria (Tenerife). Oficina de Internet Dominicos, accessed May 4, 2015 (Spanish).

Individual evidence

↑ Bernado Álvarez Afonso: Título y dignidad de Basílica para la iglesia de la Patrona de Canarias. eldia.es, February 2, 2011, archived from the original on February 11, 2015 ; Retrieved August 12, 2013 (Spanish).
↑ ANUNCIO de 4 de julio de 2001, relativo a la incoación de expediente para la declaración de Bien de Interés Cultural a favor de la imagen de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria. (PDF; 8 kB) Cabildo Insular de Tenerife, August 29, 2001, accessed on August 12, 2013 (Spanish).
↑ JA Medina: Candelaria pide a los siete cabildos que participen en las fiestas de agosto. In: eldia.es. August 5, 2009, archived from the original on December 29, 2014 ; accessed on June 1, 2019 (Spanish).
↑ Remodelación de la Plaza de la Patrona de Canarias ( Memento of October 30, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) May 13, 2009 (Spanish)
↑ Octavio Rodríguez Delgado in María José Ramos Rodríguez et al .: La Basílica de Candelaria - Crónica de una construción . 1st edition. Ayuntamiento de Candelaria, Candelaria 2012, ISBN 978-84-616-1174-4 , pp. 77 ff . (Spanish).
↑ ^a ^b ^c Álvaro Ruiz Rodríguez in María José Ramos Rodríguez et al .: La Basílica de Candelaria - Crónica de una construción . 1st edition. Ayuntamiento de Candelaria, Candelaria 2012, ISBN 978-84-616-1174-4 , pp. 137 ff . (Spanish).
↑ Ángeles Abad González in María José Ramos Rodríguez et al .: La Basílica de Candelaria - Crónica de una construción . 1st edition. Ayuntamiento de Candelaria, Candelaria 2012, ISBN 978-84-616-1174-4 , pp. 171 ff . (Spanish).

[1] Bernado Álvarez Afonso: Título y dignidad de Basílica para la iglesia de la Patrona de Canarias. eldia.es, February 2, 2011, archived from the original on February 11, 2015 ; Retrieved August 12, 2013 (Spanish).

[2] ANUNCIO de 4 de julio de 2001, relativo a la incoación de expediente para la declaración de Bien de Interés Cultural a favor de la imagen de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria. (PDF; 8 kB) Cabildo Insular de Tenerife, August 29, 2001, accessed on August 12, 2013 (Spanish).

[3] JA Medina: Candelaria pide a los siete cabildos que participen en las fiestas de agosto. In: eldia.es. August 5, 2009, archived from the original on December 29, 2014 ; accessed on June 1, 2019 (Spanish).

[4] Remodelación de la Plaza de la Patrona de Canarias ( Memento of October 30, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) May 13, 2009 (Spanish)

[5] Octavio Rodríguez Delgado in María José Ramos Rodríguez et al .: La Basílica de Candelaria - Crónica de una construción . 1st edition. Ayuntamiento de Candelaria, Candelaria 2012, ISBN 978-84-616-1174-4 , pp. 77 ff . (Spanish).

[ARR-6] Álvaro Ruiz Rodríguez in María José Ramos Rodríguez et al .: La Basílica de Candelaria - Crónica de una construción . 1st edition. Ayuntamiento de Candelaria, Candelaria 2012, ISBN 978-84-616-1174-4 , pp. 137 ff . (Spanish).

[ÁAG-7] Ángeles Abad González in María José Ramos Rodríguez et al .: La Basílica de Candelaria - Crónica de una construción . 1st edition. Ayuntamiento de Candelaria, Candelaria 2012, ISBN 978-84-616-1174-4 , pp. 171 ff . (Spanish).