On April 20, 1487, the Catholic Monarchs expressed their desire to build a cathedral church in Gran Canaria to fulfill the mandate of the Pope, a mandate that comes from the request of Fernando Calvetos to Eugenio IV in 1435 for the Bishop from Rubicón to the island of Gran Canaria .
It began to be built around 1497 by order of the Kings themselves; however, due to lack of funds, the works had to be stopped in 1570 . The long history of the temple means that it combines styles as different as the late Gothic inside and the Neoclassical outside. Its facade is the most characteristic element. The seventeenth century and the first half of the following one suppose a long parenthesis, until the Tenerife racionero Diego Nicolás Eduardo arrived in Gran Canaria , who had learned the rudiments of architecture on his way through Granada and Segovia.. This religious then decides to continue the building. Instead of going to the neoclassical guidelines, prevailing until then, it made the extension to the current head following the Gothic structures, in order to maintain the uniformity of the work.
The cathedral had two major construction phases, one from 1497 to 1570 and the other from 1781 to the present.
From its construction until the beginning of the 19th century , Santa Ana was the only cathedral in the Canary Islands since in 1819 the Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna was created with jurisdiction for the islands of Tenerife , La Palma , La Gomera and El Hierro and with episcopal headquarters in the Cathedral of San Cristóbal de La Laguna on the island of Tenerife. 10
In 1974, the Cathedral of Santa Ana was declared a national historical-artistic monument.
It remained closed to worship due to a restoration since 1996, opening to worship in 1998. During this time the provisional seat of the cathedral was moved to the nearby Jesuit church, dedicated to San Francisco de Borja.
Inside it houses several works of art, among which the Christ of Luján Pérez should be highlighted , which presides over the chapter house, as well as the carving of the Dolorosa by Luján Pérez . In the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria , installed in one of the rooms that overlook the patio of the orange trees, part of these works can be seen.
At the back of the cathedral, between the Plaza del Pilar Nuevo and the alley that leads to the hermitage of San Antonio Abad , is the house of Colón , created from a set of buildings among which was the former residence of the governor , where Christopher Columbus is believed to have been during his stay in Gran Canaria and where objects related to his passage through the islands are exhibited, as well as the history of the city and the towns known until then in America.
Previous: the bishopric of the Rubicon
On January 27, 1419, he was appointed by Pope Martin V Juan Le Verrier , coadjutor to Bishop Fray [Mendo de Viedma], Dean of Rubicón .
On February 15, 1431, Pope Eugenio IV , authorizes Don Fernando Calvetos to reconstitute the council of Rubicón.
On March 23, 1437, Francisco de Moya , makes use of the papal bull of Eugenio IV and names Fray Pedro Días de Montemayor canon of the Rubicon.
Bishopric of the Canary Islands
On August 25, 1435, by authorization of Eugene IV, the bishopric of Rubicón was transferred to the island of Gran Canaria , in which, by mandate, he ordered that the consecrated temple of the diocese of the Canary Islands be called henceforth and forever: "Catedral de las Yslas Canarias" , as Viera y Clavijo wrote.
Historical data
Tombstone found in the surroundings of the Canary Islands cathedral.
It was named Basilica of the Canary Islands ( Basilicae Canariensis ), by Pope Leo XIII "Ad perpetuam rei memoriam" in 1894 , with Fray Cueto y Diez de la Maza being bishop of the Canary Islands.
It was added to the Archbasilica of San Juan de Letrán in Rome by Pope Pius IX , with Joaquín Lluch de Garriga being bishop of the Canary Islands , in 1863.
It has been declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument.
This temple was the first in the Canary archipelago to receive the title of basilica, in 1894, by the papal bull of Leo XIII .
On October 28, 1934, Cardinal Eugenio María Giovanni Pacelli, future Pope Pius XII, visited the cathedral.
The patron saint of the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is Saint Ana , being also the patron saint of the island of Gran Canaria since since the conquest of the island she has been had as patron and intercessor, the latter jointly with the Virgin del Pino . December
At present, being one of the two cathedrals of the Canary Islands , the Cathedral of Santa Ana is also considered the main building of Catholic worship in the Canary Islands together with the Cathedral of San Cristóbal de La Laguna in Tenerife .
Canary Islands Cathedral Chapter
The cathedral chapter is a group of priests ( canons ), whose function is the recitation of the public office of the Church. It is headed by the figure of the dean ; The habit of the canons of this cathedral is made up of a black cassock, a purple sash, a roquet with crimson highlights, an open black hood with crimson cuffs and buttons, and a black bonnet with a green tassel; in winter they replace the moceta with a black coral cape with purple turns, and a black hood with red velvet linings.
The current bishop of the diocese is José Mazuelos Pérez .Description of the Cathedral
The facade of the cathedral is neoclassical in style . The building consists of three naves, the one in the center being the widest and the lateral ones, in turn, bordered by thirteen independent chapels.
The temple has a Latin cross plan with a not very salient transept, crowned by a dome . The main altar is presided over by the titular image of the cathedral and patron saint of the city, Santa Ana, the work of José de Armas Medina , carved in 1944 .
The material used for the construction of the building is blue stone from the San Lorenzo quarries, which is used for the arches, roof nerves and supports, with the characteristic gray color.
In areas where stonework predominates, they stand out against the white background of the plaster of the walls or roof panels. These are of little thickness, made with volcanic material (pumice stone), very porous, light and of little thickness.
The wall, made of masonry, appears articulated on two levels with small openings and windows over the arches of the side chapels.
The windows are conceived as holes in the wall and not as large windows.
Two types of supports can be seen: on the one hand, free-standing columns, ten in total, that separate the lateral naves, and with a cylindrical shape. The other group of discontinuous supports is made up of the twenty pillars attached to the side walls. They are cruciform, with running capitals. Pilasters of classical order appear inside the naves and Renaissance columns, embedded in the Corinthian order in the chapel of Santa Teresa de Jesús .
The arches of the side chapels are pointed. Those of the vaults appear lowered and are losing their Gothic orientation. The roofs are made with ribbed vaults in the central and lateral naves.
The dome located in the transept and which leads to the main chapel, has a drum with large windows, a cupola and a lantern. The flying buttresses present less development because they do not fulfill their discharge function in the lateral naves. The naves are of the same height (hall plan).
The ribs of the vaults, with semicircular lines, open like palm trees in the upper part of the supports.
Chapels of the cathedral
Saint Peter the Apostle, the work of Martín de Andújar Cantos .
Currently the cathedral has 11 chapels. They are as follows:
Chapel of the Immaculate Conception
The chapel of the Immaculate Conception and San Francisco de Paula is the first in the nave of the Epistle as we enter, and was roofed on May 25, 1635 . It communicates directly with the patio of Los Naranjos by a valuable stonework portal.
On April 7, 1649, Canon Juan Fernández de Oñate was granted the patronage of the chapel. He put on it the canvas of the Immaculate Conception and another of San Francisco de Paula, which gave the chapel its name.
Chapel of San Pedro Apóstol
The chapel of St. Peter the Apostle is the second in the nave of the Epistle as you enter. In the year 1570 , the chapel lacked a roof. Only the front wall was finished with the remaining three walls at ceiling height. It is presided over by the image of the Apostle Saint Peter, the work of the sculptor Martín de Andújar and its altar holds the title of a privileged altar along with that of Nuestra Señora del Carmen in the parish of San Agustín and that of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de la Portería in the parish of San Francisco de Asís in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Chapel of Santa Teresa de Jesús
The chapel of Santa Teresa, later goes to that of San Pedro, it was made to put in it the image of the Virgin of Antigua that was in the lower church. On December 22, 1776, Domingo Bignoni y Logman took possession of the chapel and at that moment he felt like showing his devotion to Saint Teresa of Jesus . He brought from Genoa the image that currently presides over the altar and also its marble and jasper altarpiece. In this chapel is the mausoleum of Fernando de León y Castillo.
Chapel of Sorrows
Crucified of the Chapter House made in 1793 by the image maker José Luján Pérez
File: Crucified of Luján Pérez, 1793.webm
Video about one of the two masterpieces by Luján Pérez.
Today the chapel of the Sorrowful Virgin is the one that follows that of Saint Teresa in the nave of the epistle, adjacent to that of Saint Joseph. The first chapel dedicated to the Dolorosa was in the lower sacristy of the cathedral.
The neoclassical altarpiece carved by Luján Pérez stands out in the current chapel , as well as the image that presides over it, the Dolorosa, which gives the chapel its name. To the right as you enter is the urn with the incorrupt body of the servant of God Buenaventura Codina.
The image of La Dolorosa was completed by Luján Pérez on December 25, 1803 and the then dean of the cathedral named Toledo wishes to have it decently at home, to later place it on the altarpiece in which it currently stands. Since that year, the Friday of Pain began to be a big party in the cathedral. From this new chapel of La Dolorosa, the "Procession of the Mantillas" began to emerge in 1928, on the morning of Good Friday, together with the Holy Christ of the Chapter House .
Chapel of San José
The chapel of San José is the last chapel in the nave of the Epistle. It is presided over by a beautiful life-size image carved in wood by the sculptor Luján Pérez . This image of Saint Joseph has the baby Jesus on his left arm, while his right hand holds a silver rod, completing the set with two angels at the foot of the saint on a cloud. In the front of the chapel there are two canvases, one of San Marcial by Juan de Miranda , and on the other side, the canvas of Santa María Magdalena, by an unknown author and donated by Dean Toledo. The image of Saint Joseph is popularly known as the "Saint Joseph of the Three Pepes"The name of its author, its painter and the commission's principal, José. In this chapel rest the mortal remains of the distinguished historian José de Viera y Clavijo , born in the Realejo Alto on the island of Tenerife , baptized in the mother parish of the Apostle Santiago in 1731 and died in this city while being archdeacon of Fuerteventura in 1813 .
The chapel is on a staircase of blue stone of San Lorenzo. The Virgen del Coro presides over the choir of the cathedral. In the niche of the main altar, on a pillar, is the patron saint of the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the owner of the cathedral, Santa Ana ; Its author is José de Armas Medina and he carved it in 1944 .
Chapel of Santa María de la Antigua
It is located in the same front of the part of the Gospel, parallel to the chapel of San José. The altarpiece in this chapel, like the one in the Chapel of the Holy Patriarch, is the work of Luján Pérez. The flamenco image of Our Lady of Antigua is a copy of the one found in the Cathedral of Seville .
Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament
The interior façade of this chapel, like that of Los Dolores, designed to enter the temple, is all stonework with its neoclassical ionic pilasters. In this chapel is the tabernacle of Lorenzo de Campos, a painting of the Immovable Conception and another of Saint Augustine. Luján Pérez restored the images on this altarpiece and carved those of Saint Peter and Saint Paul .
Chapel of San Gregorio
Both the chapels of San Gregorio and that of San Fernando were built in parallel and are like a double chapel with a stone arch in the center.
Chapel of San Fernando
The chapels of San Fernando and that of San Gregorio were the first roofed chapels in the cathedral. The chapel is dominated by the image of San Fernando, patron of Seville and the Arma de Ingenieros (General Body of Arms), a work attributed to the sculptor Luisa Roldán , better known as La Roldana and on the sides of the altarpiece we find two canvases, one of the Virgen del Pino and another of San Antonio María Claret .
Chapel of Santa Catalina
The altarpiece is dominated by a canvas of Saint Catherine of Alexandria by the Sevillian painter Juan de Roelas . Currently in this chapel is the image of the Holy Christ of Fineza that formerly presided over the main altar of the cathedral.
Music in the cathedral
The Canary Islands cathedral was the islands' first major music production center.
Since the 16th century, several masters have passed through its music chapel and contributed compositions by famous masters such as Josquin des Prés , Cristóbal de Morales , Tomás Luis de Victoria , Palestrina , etc., but due to attacks on the city by of the Dutch in 1599 the compositions of these masters are not preserved. However, a polyphonic psalm by the canon and chapelmaster Ambrosio López and some work by Bartolomé Cairasco de Figueroa , 16 whose poetic talent was highly recognized , are preserved . A golden age of musical activity in the Canary Islands takes place around these two artists.
The production from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries that is preserved in the archive of the Canary Islands cathedral exceeds two thousand pieces, most of which are of great artistic quality, carefully cataloged by Lola de la Torre Champsaur .
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