On November 14, 1954, hein the image of the Virgin of Our Lady of Candelariafrom this neighborhood of La Vera, in the sector of La Villa de La Orotava, which was donated by Manuel Yánez Barreto and his wife Sixta Fuentes Castro, went on his shoulders from that first place of worship to Las Arenas, where the first truck was waiting for him destined to collect garbage, being prepared as a float, who moved it to bless it on that date, in the old Sanctuary of Villa Mariana (the current Basilica did not yet exist).
That day was a very special day for the neighborhood, where both religious and municipal authorities were present, including Mayor Isidoro Luz Carpenter, from Puerto de la Cruz, the Mayor of Villa de La Orotava, José Estévez Méndez, and other authorities, neighbors, neighbors and parishioners.
The neighborhood asked for a church to be built in the neighborhood, since to go to mass you had to go to various parishes, whether it was hot, cold, rainy or windy. Due to these requests, the creation proceeded on November 15, 1943, with Bishop Fray Albino González y Méndez-Reigada, the first founder of the parish.
Later, on June 8, 1953, Bishop Domingo Pérez Cáceres visited the first place of worship and the site destined for the future parish church, where a mass was offered. There were the mayors of the valley, as well as neighbors, neighbors and parishioners.
From here began the religious acts. They were held in a dwelling, a temporary parish, which would be adapted for this purpose. At that time was the first parish priest Domingo Martín Luis, a native of the town of La Perdoma, responsible for religious acts, as well as administrative. All this with the aim of building a parish that would bear the name of Our Lady of Candelaria-La Vera on a plot donated by the mayor of Puerto la Cruz, Isidoro Luz Carpenter.
In these first years it was placed provisionally, in a room that faced the street, just towards the general highway, like the alley, which is called La Güina Alta. This place was owned by Indalecio Felipe Hernández and his wife Clotilde Domínguez Expósito. Given that the place was short, because two more images were coming, Santo Domingo de Guzmán and the Heart of Jesus, plus the image of the Virgin of Our Lady of Candelaria had to be transferred to the house of the married couple and neighbors José Hernández Díaz and his wife Carmen González Abreu, house known as Casa Alta. Once the works were finished, he went back to his first place of worship.
The sculptor Ezequiel de León
The image of the Virgin of Candelaria was sculpted by the sculptor Ezequiel de León Domínguez,
in his workshop located in Villa
Above, in La Orotava. Ezequiel de León was then making some adjustments, where, apparently, the image had been very dark, and there he was until he managed to obtain the beautiful color that he retains to date.
At that time, Melchor Gómez Quintero, known as the Sacristan, was an altar boy, who began in that first place of worship and retired in the new parish of today, in La Vera de Puerto de la Cruz.
