Church of Saint Pius X

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Architecture · Subcategory: Religious architecture · Year: 1960 · Authors: Luis Cabrera y Sánchez-Real

This interesting religious building was designed in 1958 by architect Luis Cabrera. It is located in the San Pío X neighbourhood, on the outskirts of the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. This peripheral area emerged in the mid-20th century as one of the settlement places for the large population that arrived in the city seeking a better future. The State, at that time, commissioned architect Luis Cabrera to carry out an urbanisation project for what was then known as "Finca La Molineta", which later became San Pío X. More than 300 subsidised homes were planned, along with a multipurpose complex formed by a school group, a sports court and an original temple, designed without a roof, outdoors. 

Access to the temple is through a triangular bell tower gate that leads to the uncovered nave, enclosed perimetrically by a 3.50 m high wall of prefabricated concrete lattice openings. At the end opposite the entrance, the presbytery was placed, whose roof is constructed with prefabricated triangular moulds. This avant-garde structure was formed from three prefabricated concrete pieces in a “Y” shape, arranged in plan over the vertices of an equilateral triangle. For the altar design, Luis Cabrera opted for decorative simplicity, a monolithic stone block in which the tabernacle was embedded. In turn, the altar served as a pedestal for the sculptural image that José Luis Sánchez made of Saint Pius X and which was placed in a prismatic niche.

This bold, fantastic structure, very much in the logic of its author, was inaugurated in 1960. Over the years it has been transformed, altered and has lost much of its original singularity; although, despite everything, it maintains its genius.

28.4505, -16.28274