The 17th-century Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria in Tijarafe

Located in the municipality of Tijarafe on the island of La Palma, the Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria was built between the 17th and 18th centuries. The church features a simple nave and a traditional bell tower located at the rear of the building, which includes an exterior balcony and stairs. A stone at the base of the bell tower is engraved with the date 1686. The main entrance has been recently restored to reveal the masonry of the building's corners.

On the east side is the bell tower and the Capilla del Santísimo, which is considered the oldest part of the building. On the west side are three volumes: the main nave with a third entrance door, the baptistery chapel built after the others with red rough masonry, and the chapel of the Christ, which is the last of the three forming the transept. Attached to the church is the current parish house, built around 1950 on old rooms that were used as temple debris, known as “Casita de la Virgen.” The house includes a wooden balcony made of old Canarian pine.

The interior of the church features a simple but cozy main nave. At the back is the Retablo Mayor by Antonio de Orbarán, a work of great artistic value that shows an architectural idiosyncrasy of five streets. Orbarán used a formula to place a collection of apostolic sculptures in the intercolumniations, giving it the appearance of eleven streets. The interior walls also contain ten niches built in 1950 for images. The choir is made of wood in the Canarian style, and the ceiling of the main chapel is rich in details.

The Capilla del Santísimo, also known as the Rosary, is the most primitive part of the building and contains the richest of its arches. It houses a 16th-century image of Saint Anthony of Padua, as well as images of Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Ferdinand. The patroness of Tijarafe and the titular of the temple, Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, is also prominently featured.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons