The Oil of St. John the Evangelist

In 1648, as the Black Death ravaged the land, a sacred icon within the Parroquia Matriz de Nuestra Señora de La Concepción miraculously sweated a liquid. This became known as the miraculous oil of St. John the Evangelist, and after this miracle, the disease disappeared from the island.

In 1496, the conqueror Alonso Fernández de Lugo established the site of the church after the feast of Corpus Christi, though the parish was founded in 1511. It was the first parish established in Tenerife and is almost a twin of the Church of the Conception of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It remains a prominent part of the old town of San Cristóbal de La Laguna.

Inside, the temple is home to numerous brotherhoods, including the Pontificia, Imperial, Real y Venerable Hermandad de la Purísima Concepción, which was added to a brotherhood in Rome in 1757. High above the nave, the church houses the largest bell in the Canary Islands. Visitors can climb the tower to view much of the city.

Outside the entrance door stands the Monument to Pope John Paul II, a statue by Polish sculptor Czeslaw Dzwigaj representing the pontiff with two children in traditional Canary Island costumes. The church was declared a site of cultural interest and a National Historic Monument in 1948.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons