With all its corners, its beaches, its atmosphere, the merging of cultures in the streets, etc., there are few places in Puerto de la Cruz that have as much charm as the square where the Church of Our Lady of the Rock of France is located.
If you sit in one of its benches, you can spend hours without feeling that it is time to get up and change of scene, because this little corner, halfway between San Telmo and the famous Plaza del Charco, has something that draws your attention.
Feel, listen, observe
It is the perfect place to feel. You cannot see the sea, but you sense it, you smell it. If someone took you there with your eyes covered, and you did not know where you were, at least you would know that you are in a coastal town.
It is the perfect place to listen. Around the Church of Our Lady of the Rock of France there is always music and different melodies. The crowd walking along the avenue is heard and often stops to admire the majesty of the building.
And it is also the perfect place to observe. They say “observe” is a good exercise. And there are appropriate places to do so with varied and curious characters whose stories you do not know, but you can invent.
The swan everyone is looking at
The square of the Church of Our Lady of the Rock of France has a small garden guarded by a swan looking towards the sky as if it were a sacred place. It never looks at anyone, motionless inside the fountain, but it always captures visitors’ attention.
There are also many palm trees, which gives the local touch and puts the finishing touch to a traditional church square of a small coastal town, on an island with an always pleasant climate.
Everything in that corner of Puerto de la Cruz is in perfect balance: the architecture of the building, the swan, the palm trees.
The parish
In the Church of Our Lady of the Rock of France (1697) some of the most admired images of the whole island of Tenerife are housed, among which are the Great Power of God and the Virgin of El Carmen of Puerto de la Cruz.
As for its architecture, it represents the traditional religious architecture of the Canary Islands: it has three naves divided by Roman Tuscan columns and half-point arches, and an interior wooden roof with Mudejar coffered ceilings. The alterations made after its construction led to some parts that today do not appear to be connected to the rest of the parish, such as some rectangular chapels or the entrance tower.
If you love religion and art, you cannot miss it because, in addition to its value (it is an Asset of Cultural Interest), it houses numerous works of art in its interior.
