The Royal Sanctuary of the Christ of La Laguna is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage church in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife. It dates from 1580 and grew out of the first Franciscan monastery on the island, founded by Alonso Fernández de Lugo. It houses the Cristo de La Laguna, a devotional image of Christ on the cross, and received its royal title from King Alfonso XIII in 1906. The church is a protected Site of Cultural Interest and stands beside the Plaza del Cristo.
Royal Sanctuary of the Christ of La Laguna
Pilgrimage church from 1580, with a silver altarpiece framing the carved Cristo de La Laguna
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance and wheelchair-accessible parking.
- Parking
- Parking del Cristo, a paid asphalt car park about 80 m away; wheelchair-accessible parking available.
- Difficulty
- No approach to speak of: the car park and both bus stops lie within about 150 m, and the church stands on the Plaza del Cristo.
- Transport
- Bus stops El Cristo (stop 2455), about 95 m away, and Plaza del Cristo (stop 1364), about 150 m away.
- Hours
- Tuesday to Friday 10:00–13:00 and 17:00–20:00; Saturday and Sunday 10:00–13:00; closed on Monday.
- Address
- Pl. de El Cristo, 3, 38201 La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
What makes it special
You come in through a door beneath the choir loft, and the nave runs ahead high and narrow: about 46 m long and 7 m wide, more than six times as long as it is wide. At the far end the whole back wall is a silver altarpiece. In its central niche, on a cross of carved wood and gold, hangs the Cristo de La Laguna, the carved figure of Christ that pilgrims from across the Canary Islands come to see.
Two more things reward a slower look. Since 2014 the sanctuary has held an exact replica of the Shroud of Turin, the only one in the Canary Islands and one of two in Spain. And outside the door lies the Plaza del Cristo, the largest square in La Laguna, which fills every September when the city celebrates its Christ with concerts and fireworks.
Good to know
- The church is closed on Mondays, and at weekends it opens in the morning only.
- It is a working church: if mass is under way when you arrive, stay at the back and keep your voice down.
- Every September the Plaza del Cristo hosts a month of celebrations for the Cristo de La Laguna, with concerts and fireworks; expect crowds around the square.
- The nearest public toilets are about 225 m away.
Getting there
The sanctuary stands on the Plaza del Cristo, the largest square in La Laguna, so the last stretch is a walk across open paving. Two bus stops serve it: El Cristo, about 95 m away, and Plaza del Cristo, about 150 m in a straight line. Drivers have Parking del Cristo, a paid car park about 80 m away. Nearby, the Capilla de Cruz de San Francisco, about 160 m from the church, carries an information board worth a pause on the way in.
Best time to visit
Best: September, if you want to see the church at the centre of city life: La Laguna spends the month celebrating the Cristo de La Laguna, with concerts and fireworks around the Plaza del Cristo. Outside the fiesta, a weekday gives you the most time, since the church opens in the morning and again in the late afternoon.
Avoid: Mondays, when it is closed, and weekend afternoons, when it does not reopen.
Plan around services as well: the sanctuary is a working church, and during mass the nave belongs to the congregation.
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the Cristo de La Laguna inside the church?
At the far end of the nave, in the central niche of the large silver altarpiece that fills the back wall, resting on a cross of carved wood and gold.What is the Shroud of Turin replica?
An exact copy of the Shroud of Turin, kept in the sanctuary since 2014. It was donated by the Canary Islands delegation of the Spanish Centre for Sindonology and is the only one in the Canary Islands.Why is the church called royal?
King Alfonso XIII granted it the royal title on 19 December 1906, during a visit to the Canary Islands. It was one of the earliest Christian shrines in the archipelago to receive it.When are the fiestas of the Cristo de La Laguna?
In September. The celebrations run through the month, with concerts and fireworks around the Plaza del Cristo.Is there parking near the church?
Yes. Parking del Cristo, a paid car park, lies about 80 m away, and wheelchair-accessible parking is available.