Church of San Gines

Local name: Iglesia de San Ginés

Parish church of Arrecife's patron saint, rebuilt in 1667 on the site of a flooded 16th-century hermitage

The Church of San Ginés is a Catholic parish church in Arrecife, the capital of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. A hermitage built on the site in 1574 held images of Saint Peter and Saint Ginés; after it flooded, the church was completely rebuilt in 1667 and expanded in the 18th and 19th centuries. Saint Ginés, Genesius of Clermont, is Arrecife's patron saint. The bell tower was modelled on that of the Church of La Concepción in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Historical landmark

Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance. No toilets in the church.
Parking: Paid public car park about 180 m away; a second car park at a similar distance is private.
Difficulty: None: the church stands in the town centre, about 120 m from the nearest bus stop, and you walk straight in from the street.
Transport: Bus stops Avenida De Vargas – Archivo Municipal (about 120 m) and León y Castillo – Calle Real (about 140 m).
Hours: Daily 9:00–13:00 and 16:00–20:00. Mass every evening at 19:30, with extra Masses at weekends and on feast days, including 11:00 and 12:30 on Sundays.
Address: Pl. de las Palmas, 1, 35500 Arrecife, Las Palmas, Spain

What makes it special

Come for a Mass and the church is at its liveliest: the service is in Spanish, there is music, and the congregation joins in the singing. Between services it goes quiet, and you can take your time over the statues and paintings. A side chapel is set aside for adoration, with the Blessed Sacrament exposed.

Look up at the bell tower before you go in. Its design was borrowed from the tower of La Concepción in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, across the archipelago. The building itself dates from 1667, when the flooded hermitage that stood here was rebuilt from the ground up; the 18th and 19th centuries added to it.

Good to know

Mass times posted on the front of the church and online have not always matched. If you plan to attend, check the board at the door.
The church closes over the middle of the day, so plan your visit for the morning or the late afternoon.
Mass is said in Spanish.
There are no toilets in the church; a free public toilet is about 380 m away.

Getting there

The church stands in the centre of Arrecife, just off the seafront promenade, and the walk along the front brings you to it. Two bus stops lie within about 140 m: Avenida De Vargas – Archivo Municipal and León y Castillo – Calle Real. Drivers will find a paid car park about 180 m away in a straight line; a second car park at a similar distance is private. A tourist information guidepost stands about 200 m from the church.

Best time to visit

Best: the morning or late-afternoon opening hours for a quiet look around, or a Mass if you want to hear the music and the singing.

Avoid: the midday break, when the doors are shut, and the middle of a service if you only want to look at the building.

San Ginés is a working parish church, and the hours between services are the ones when you can walk through it without disturbing anyone.

Access & restrictions

San Ginés is a working parish church with Mass every evening. If you arrive during a service and have come to look at the building, wait at the back until it ends before walking around. The adoration chapel holds the Blessed Sacrament exposed for prayer: enter it quietly and keep your voice down.

Sun & daylight

Historical landmarkLake

🩶

☑️

La Geria Wine Region