The
Cathedral of La Laguna is a Roman Catholic church in
San Cristóbal de La Laguna, on the Spanish island of
Tenerife in the
Canary Islands. The church was designated a
cathedral in 1818 and is the seat of the
Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, which includes the islands of Tenerife,
La Palma,
La Gomera and
El Hierro. The current building was constructed between 1904 and 1915 to replace an earlier building begun in 1515. The cathedral is located in the historic centre of La Laguna and was declared a
World Heritage Site in 1999 by
UNESCO. It contains elements of several architectural styles and is noted for its
Neoclassical facade, inspired by
Pamplona Cathedral, as well as its dome, which stands out prominently in the city landscape. In the cathedral lie the remains of
Alonso Fernández de Lugo, the conqueror of the island and founder of the La Laguna. This photograph shows one of the
side chapels of the Cathedral of La Laguna, with a 6-metre-tall (20 ft) gilded
reredos behind the
altar. Constructed in the
Baroque style in the first half of the 18th century, the reredos is the largest in the Canary Islands. The chapel is dedicated to the
Virgin of Los Remedios, whose statue is in the central niche behind the altar. The reredos features seven paintings, attributed to
Hendrick van Balen, depicting scenes from the lives of
Jesus and
Mary.
Photograph credit: Diego Delso
