Church of San Sebastian (Aguimes)

Local name: Iglesia de San Sebastián de Agüimes

Domed Neoclassical parish church of volcanic stone, built between 1796 and 1940 at the heart of old Agüimes.

The Church of San Sebastián is the parish church of Agüimes, a town in the east of Gran Canaria, and stands in the centre of its restored old quarter. It is a noted example of Canarian Neoclassical architecture: a large domed building with two towers and a façade of local volcanic stone. Construction began in 1796 and was completed only in 1940. The church has been protected as a national historic-artistic monument since 1981 and holds works by the Canarian sculptor Luján Pérez.

Historical landmark

Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance and wheelchair-accessible parking.
Parking: Free car park about 160 m away; a second car park about 250 m away.
Difficulty: None: the church stands in the town centre, about 160 m from the nearest car park.
Transport: Bus stop Barranco Guayadeque, about 160 m away.
Hours: Monday–Friday 9:00–13:00 and 17:00–19:30; Saturday 9:30–12:00 and 17:00–19:30; Sunday closed.
Address: Pl. Párroco Parer, 5, 35260 Agüimes, Las Palmas, Spain

What makes it special

The dome shows above the rooftops before you reach the square, and up close the façade turns out to be cut from local volcanic stone in fine detail. Locally the church goes by the Cathedral of the South, for its scale and its two towers.

It took from 1796 to 1940 to finish, close to a century and a half. Inside are carvings by Luján Pérez, the Canarian sculptor whose work stands in many of the island's churches.

The lanes around it are half the visit: narrow streets, café terraces, small squares, and bronze statues of local people set at street level, among them an old woman who handed sweets to the children. One more curiosity: a full-scale copy of the church stands 23 km to the south-west, built in 2014 as part of a hotel complex in Meloneras.

Good to know

Midday closure: the church shuts over the middle of the day and reopens in the late afternoon. Sunday is listed as closed.
Saturday afternoons: the posted hours include them, but the door has been found locked then. A weekday morning is the safer bet.
Toilets: free public toilets stand about 100 m from the church.
Leche leche: the old-town cafés serve the Canarian coffee made with condensed milk, a good excuse to sit on a terrace after the visit.

Getting there

Agüimes lies inland in the east of Gran Canaria, 5 km from the coast and 26 km south of Las Palmas, with the GC-1 motorway running past the town to the east. The church stands in the old centre, and its dome is visible well before you arrive.

The nearest car park is about 160 m away in a straight line, with a second one at about 250 m; from either, the last stretch is a walk through the old-town streets. By bus, the nearest stop is Barranco Guayadeque, also about 160 m away.

Best time to visit

Best: a weekday morning, when the doors stay open longest and the old-town lanes are quiet.

Avoid: Sunday, which is listed as closed, and the middle of the day, when the church shuts.

The opening hours are split in two, so the morning gives the surest look at the interior, while the façade and the squares around it can be seen at any hour.

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