General Captaincy of the Canary Islands

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Architecture · Subcategory: Military architecture · Year: 1880 · Authors: Tomás Clavijo y Castillo-Olivares

Since in 1723 the Marquis of Valhermoso, general commander of the Archipelago, decided to establish his residence in Santa Cruz, several places in the city housed the highest military chiefs before the construction of the current building was carried out. The first chosen site was the now disappeared Castle of San Cristóbal, and from there, the headquarters varied among different rented houses in the city until settling in the Carta Palace, where the institution remained from 1853 to 1881.

During this time of relocations, the military tried to build their own building, even drafting a project that placed it in the orchard of the old convent of San Francisco, in what is today the Plaza del Príncipe, but it did not come to fruition.

It was General Valeriano Weyler, who arrived in 1878, who made the project we see today a reality, built on the site that occupied the old military hospital of the city.

The definitive project for the General Captaincy of the Canary Islands was developed by the military engineer Tomás Clavijo y Castillo-Olivares in 1878. Work began the following year, with the building partially completed in 1880.

The elegant façade consists of two floors, highlighting the central section between pilasters. The main body includes large windows topped with pediments, adorned with a continuous balcony with iron balustrades. The entire structure is crowned by a pediment whose tympanum features the Kingdom's coat of arms accompanied by military trophies.

Inside, the building has a spacious central courtyard, with Sevillian tiles and cast columns supporting the upper gallery. The staircase leading to the noble floor ends in a gallery with neo-Gothic tracery enclosure over the courtyard, from which access is given to the magnificent Throne Room. The ceiling painting of this room, the decoration of the gala dining room, and the reliefs of the building's pediment are the work of the Tenerife artist Gumersindo Robayna.

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