The Iglesia de San Andrés Apóstol (''Church of St. Andrew the Apostle'') is a

Catholic church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of the village of San Andrés (

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife, commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz (), is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and capital of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz has a population of 206,593 (2013) within its admi ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

History

Between 1505-1510, Don Lope de Salazar built a chapel, where the present church is located, and placed in it two images: St. Andrew the Apostle and

Saint Lucy Lucia of Syracuse (283–304), also called Saint Lucia ( la, Sancta Lucia) better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ...

. The church was dedicated to St. Andrew the Apostle. It is known that in 1520 the chapel was named "''Nuestra Señora de Salazar''". This primitive hermitage was one of the oldest Christian temples on the island of

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

, built shortly after the conquest of the island. It is also known that in 1619 there was a

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

in the church. The modern St. Andrew's Church was built on a structure of an earlier period. Found in the church an ancient wooden sculpture depicting St. Andrew the Apostle, whose feast is celebrated on November 30 and is the patron saint of the locality. Also noteworthy is the statue of crucified Christ, made of

orange wood Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower * Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum ...

in 1882 by a local sculptor who suffered from blindness. This carving, known as ''Santo Cristo del Cegato'', is located on one side of the main altar of the temple.Amador, P.F., Ávila, A., Barrio, J.L., Castro, C.J., Chinea, J.L., …, Viña, A. (2014). El antiguo Valle de Salazar en Tenerife y su iglesia de San Andrés. Homenaje a la profesora Constanza Negrín Delgado. (p. 205). La Laguna. Editor Carlos Rodríguez Morales. Instituto de Estudios Canarios.Pareja, E.(com.) Y murió en la cruz. (Córdoba. Sala de exposiciones museísticas Caja Sur. 16 de octubre a 21 de noviembre de 2001. Sevilla. Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla. 4 de diciembre de 2001 a 5 de enero de 2002.). Córdoba, 2001. Publicaciones Obra Social y Cultural, Caja Sur. The church has many other religious images. Another feature of the church is the altar for the souls in

purgatory Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...

. In the tower are two old bells, one of them (the smallest) is said to have belonged to the fleet of

Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...

that tried unsuccessfully to invade the island on July 25, 1797.

Gallery

File:San Andrés Apóstol (San Andrés, Tenerife).jpg, Statuette of St. Andrew the Apostle in the church. File:Altar mayor. San Andrés, SC de Tenerife.jpg, Main altar. File:Virgen del Carmen. San Andrés, SC de Tenerife.jpg,

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or Virgin of Carmel, is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order, particularly within the Catholic Church. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Ca ...

. File:Cristo del Cegato. San Andrés, SC de Tenerife.jpg, Santo Cristo del Cegato. File:Altar de Ánimas. San Andrés, SC de Tenerife.jpg, Altar of the Souls of Purgatory.

References

External links

History of the Church of San Andrés, Government of Canary Islands
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iglesia de San Andres (Tenerife) 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain Roman Catholic churches completed in 1510 Catholic Church in the Canary Islands Churches in Tenerife 1510 establishments in Spain