Church of Our Lady of Regla (Pajara)

Local name: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Regla

Two-nave 17th-century church with a carved stone portal of serpents, suns and plumed heads.

The Church of Our Lady of Regla stands in the centre of Pájara, on Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, and is listed as a bien de interés cultural. Its first nave was finished by 1681; Pájara was made a parish in 1708, and a second nave was under construction in 1735 to hold a growing congregation. The church is known for the carved portal of its older nave and for its Mudéjar-influenced wooden ceilings.

Historical landmark

Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance and wheelchair-accessible parking.
Parking: Free car park about 90 m away, with wheelchair-accessible spaces.
Difficulty: None: the free car park is about 90 m away and the entrance is wheelchair accessible.
Transport: The nearest bus stop is about 3 km away in a straight line.
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9:00–13:00; Wednesday 9:00–20:30; Sunday 18:00–20:30; closed on Saturday.
Address: Calle de Regla, 8, 35628 Pájara, Las Palmas, Spain

What makes it special

The doorway of the older nave is the thing to see. It is cut from coppery stone on a classical plan, with a round arch, paired panelled pilasters with leafy capitals and a broken pediment on top, and almost every surface is carved: geometric figures, serpents, suns, a moon, human heads with plumed headdresses, birds and lions. Specialists disagree over its sources. Some read Aztec influence in it; others trace it to the iconography of the Italian Cesare Ripa.

Inside, the light drops sharply. Two naves sit side by side, divided by columns of stacked stone drums carrying round arches, under wooden Mudéjar-style ceilings with paired tie-beams worked in geometric patterns. One beam in the main chapel has the date 1687 cut into it. A wooden choir runs across the back of both naves. Light a candle, sit down and keep your voice low.

Good to know

The church is sometimes locked. When it is, the portal can still be seen from the square in front.
The interior is very dark, darker than photographs suggest. Give your eyes a minute before you look up at the ceilings.
Pájara has little else to see beyond the church and its square, so plan it as a stop on a longer drive.
The 1970s municipal buildings beside the church stand close and tall, and they get in the way of wide shots.
Public toilets are about 76 m away.

Getting there

The church stands in the centre of Pájara, facing its square. By car, the free car park about 90 m away leaves only a short walk to the door.

Walkers come past it too: the GR 131, the long-distance trail that crosses Fuerteventura from Corralejo to Punta de Jandía, runs right by the church, with a map board and a waymark post about 30 m away.

The nearest bus stop is about 3 km away in a straight line.

Best time to visit

Best: a weekday morning, or Wednesday, when the doors stay open into the evening.

Avoid: Saturday, when the church does not open.

Outside its opening hours only the portal is on view, and the dark interior gains nothing from a bright day, so plan around the hours and let the weather take care of itself.

Sun & daylight

Viewpoint

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