REAL SANTUARIO DE SAN MIGUEL DE LAS VICTORIAS

The Franciscans, who arrived on the island at the time of the conquest, built the ancient convent of San Miguel de las Victorias in 1506. It was destroyed by fire in 1810, from which only the statue of Christ of La Laguna was saved. Brought here in 1520 by the Andalusian governor Fernández de Lugo, this late-Gothic wood carving from Seville is one of the most venerated by the island's inhabitants. This Christ is carried through the streets in several processions. The present-day church also houses a statue of La Dolorosa by the Canarian sculptor Rodríguez de la Oliva, another statue of San Francisco de Asís and numerous goldsmith's and silversmith's objects, most of which come from the finest workshops in La Laguna.