La Laguna Cathedral

Cathedral of San Cristóbal de La Laguna Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Laguna Template:Es icon
Location	San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife
Country	Spain
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Architecture
Style	Neoclassical, Neogothic, Renaissance
Groundbreaking	1904
Completed	1915

The Cathedral of San Cristóbal de La Laguna or Catedral de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (Santa Iglesia Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Laguna in Spanish) is a Catholic cathedral in Tenerife, Spain. Begun in 1904 and completed in 1915, it is dedicated to the Virgin of Los Remedios (patron of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna). This is one of the most important temples of the Canary Islands.

Located in the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain). In this temple lie the remains of Alonso Fernandez de Lugo, conqueror of the island and founder of the city. The cathedral is located in the historic center of the city of La Laguna, declared World Heritage Site in 1999 by UNESCO. Styles of the cathedral: Neoclassical, Neo-Gothic and Renaissance. The most representative elements of the Cathedral of La Laguna are neoclassical facade, which is inspired by the Cathedral of Pamplona and the dome, which stands out greatly in the city landscape.

History

In 1511 on the site of the current building (Plaza of Albino Monk) a hermitage was built. There are indications that there was a Guanche necropolis. The chapel was replaced in 1515 with a major construction dedicated to the Virgin of Los Remedios of Mudejar style, with a tower added in 1618. The temple became a cathedral in 1819, when the new diocese of La Laguna was created. The front, neoclassic, dates back to 1825; the current structure was constructed between 1904 and 1915 and is of Neo-Gothic style. Inside there is a notable pulpit of Carrara's Italian marble carved by Pasquale Bocciardo which departs from the set of Mazuelos's Altarpiece. In addition there are valuable works by Cristóbal Hernández de Quintana, Luján Perez and Fernando Estévez. The cathedral has three wide aisles and an ambulatory (unique in the Canary Islands) which surrounds the chancel, or altar. These elements give the interior of the cathedral a typical medieval European feel in contrast with the colonial style of the exterior.

The cathedral was constructed from concrete, one of the first buildings in Spain to use a material which is now used extensively in a wide range of buildings. Unfortunately, having been a pioneer in this field, the technology was not fully developed; as a result it developed numerous faults which required large amounts of repair and improvement work.

In the era during which the building was constructed and dedicated as cathedral, the capital of the island was the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna; the diocesan headquarters still remain in that city. This is the reason that the cathedral was built there and not in the current capital of the island (Santa Cruz de Tenerife). The image of the Holiest Cristo de La Laguna moves up to the cathedral every year, where it remains for a few days on the occasions of the holy days in September and Holy Week. The cathedral is also a parish and a Marian shrine, as the Virgin of Los Remedios is the patron saint of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna.

The cathedral was closed to worship in 2002 to perform a meticulous restoration process, agreeing to reopen for a few years later. However due to bureaucratic disagreements, the cathedral was closed more than a decade. During the pre-restoration study found that the main dome and vaults were so damaged that the only plausible solution was the demolition of these elements and their subsequent reconstruction. The new vaults and domes were built with a new material, polypropylene fibers. For this reason the cathedral became the first in the world to use this material. Finally, reopened its doors on 25 January 2014, will be reopened to worship on 31 January of that year.

During the remodeling which was also subjected the Cathedral Square in 2014, archaeological remains were discovered in the basement. Appeared some rubble presumed that might belong to the ancient Church of Los Remedios or structures from the first European settlement in the city.

Gallery

• 
  Interior of the cathedral.
• 
  Altarpiece baroque of the Virgin of the Remedies.
• 
  Tomb of Alonso Fernández de Lugo, conqueror of the island and city founder.
• 
  Dome of the Cathedral.
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  Marble pulpit, designed by Pasquale Bocciardo.
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  Tabernacle of the main altar.

See also

• Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna
• Real Santuario del Santísimo Cristo de La Laguna
• Basilica of Candelaria
• San Cristóbal de La Laguna