The Convent of San Pedro Mártir

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Category: Memory · Subcategory: Memory spaces · Year: 1522

According to Viera y Clavijo, this was the former foundation of the Catholic Kings, and was the establishment and headquarters for the Dominican order of Las Palmas. It was constructed over land that had been set aside for this purpose by conqueror Pedro de Vera. It had been considered, in the city's early days, for the building of a hermitage dedicated to San Pedro Mártir. The loss of the convent's archives due to Dutch pillaging in 1599, means an exact founding date is not possible, although it is thought the first stone was laid on 19th March 1522.

It had just the one cloisters, with stone archways on the courtyard level and wooden galleries along the upper floor. The church was built to the south of the city in the first quarter of the 16th century, with the entrance at the little square of Santo Domingo. Both the convent and the church were rebuilt over the next century, following the Dutch attack. The cloisters were the site for teachings on theology, philosophy, scholastics and grammar. Following its expropriation in the 19th century, the buidling was set up as a leprosy hospital and a mental health centre, for which great refurbishment was undertaken. It was demolished just before the middle of last century. It nevertheless preserves the church, whose interior is one of the most artistically attractive in the city. 

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