The renovation project for the Patron Square in Canary Islands has reached an important milestone, with the gathering of materials and machinery now finished. The initial phase of the work is simultaneously taking place at three sites within the Candelaria Basilica vicinity: Calle Antón Guanche, the square adjacent to the old town hall (to be known as the artisan square), and the San Blas area. The total budget for the project amounts to 16.2 million euros, with a timeline of 36 months, requiring completion by December 2027, given that the deadline commenced from the minutes approved on December 27.
While ensuring access to Patroness Plaza, the commencement of these works necessitates a traffic reorganisation that is now in effect: Antón Guanche Street is closed for construction, thereby preventing access to Candelaria from the Patron Square via La Magdalena Street (Civil Guard); Paseo de San Blas is also closed (including to pedestrians); Los Príncipes street operates in both directions under traffic light regulation starting from the farmer’s market, located on Constitution Avenue (which connects with the Plaza and the Basilica); within the Plaza de la Patrona de Canarias, traffic flows in the usual direction with parking available solely in the front section of the basilica and next to the bar area, though not around the entire perimeter of the square.
The Initial Steps
During this initial phase, a house will be demolished at the entrance of Barranco de Tapia as part of the work in Plaza del Artesano, where a wall will serve as marine protection for the Achbinic cave. The renovation will encompass 19,425 square metres spanning the Paseo de San Blas (3,431 square metres), the Patron Square itself (13,640 square metres), and Antón Guanche Street and Plaza de los Artesanos (2,354 square metres). A ramp will be constructed to link Antón Guanche (which will remain operational) and the square. This initiative includes hydraulic and sanitation works to divert wastewater from the coast to the regional treatment facility.
This ramp will feature a sacred museum, a multifunctional space, and a tourist office as its main uses. The total constructed area will be 1,073.31 square metres. Additionally, the Great Plaza will undergo restoration, along with Paseo de San Blas and Cueva de los Camelos, while Antón Guanche street will be transformed into a pedestrian area, evolving into an open linear space at its upper end. The work will preserve the pilgrims’ fountain located at the entrance of the Basilica, along with the sculptural collection of the Guanches by the sea.
Sources have indicated that the popular festivities celebrating the Patron of the Canary Islands, occurring on August 15, will be affected by the ongoing construction, which will likely take place within the square itself.
24 and a Half Years Ago
The proposal was unveiled on April 27, 2022; however, it was back on June 14, 2000, when the then president of the Cabildo de Tenerife (the body championing the project), Ricardo Melchior, alongside his government team, made an official visit to Candelaria. In conjunction with the mayor of Candelaria, Rodolfo Afonso, he announced the square’s renovation, claiming it would be the first of three island-wide projects (the other two being the chicharrera Plaza de España and the lagoon Plaza del Cristo), expressing hope that construction would begin before his term ended in 2003.
It took 24 and a half years to reach the signing of the rethinking act. This marks the commencement of the 36-month period whereby Construcciones Sánchez Domínguez-Sando is tasked with completing a project that was originally devised by a team with Ruiz Llarea & Asociados SL and architectural study Eustaquio Martínez Slpu, who subsequently made the requested modifications from the Cabildo in January 2018 to address the issues identified in the collected sectorial reports.
