Church of the Monastery del Santísimo Cristo de La Laguna

The Franciscan Monastery of San Miguel de Las Victorias was founded by the Adelantado when the conquest was over. The invocation of the archangel Michael symbolizes victory; always connected with the struggle and triumph of good over evil and as a relationship of souls through Christianity.

Construction of the building began in 1506; Its realization was slow because the only money came from the alms left by the wealthiest parishioners.

The church initially had a single nave. It was expanded into a structure of three naves and several chapels; such as the Lord of the Column, the Chapel of the Holy Spirit (1518), the Chapel of Our Lady of Candelaria (1522) and also the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels (1598).

During the seventeenth century the monastery underwent quite a few renovations as a result of several meteorological disasters. An example of this is the major floods that La Laguna experienced on January 24, 1713, which severely affected the building. This accident forced the reconstruction of a large part of the building and forced the order to temporarily move from this building.

The monastery was enlarged and reformed in 1726; A new monastery was built and new study rooms were also added. This is a result of the importance of the monasteries of the city of La Laguna and their promotion of education and culture.

On the night of July 28, 1810, the building suffered a serious fire ; he escaped alone to the flames, the belfry and the house of slavery. The construction of the new monastery was carried out a year later.

The new shrine was built with a different orientation than the previous one. Initially it was a temporary chapel, but as such it has been preserved to this day. It is a very simple building, the space being reduced to a single nave, without additional chapels, and its area is about 46 meters long and 8 meters wide.

Willem Vandenameele