Residence of the Claretians

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Architecture · Subcategory: Civil architecture · Year: 1896 · Authors: Manuel de Cámara

With the arrival of the Claretian order in Santa Cruz in 1896, the ownership of the Church of El Pilar passed into their hands after the temple had functioned as a military parish. The Sociedad de Edificaciones y Reformas Urbanas (Building and Urban Reform Society) took charge of constructing a new building to be erected on Calle de San Lucas, adjacent to the church, to house the new religious members. In that same year, 1896, the architect Manuel de Cámara y Cruz drew up plans for a single-storey building with a beautiful courtyard. In 1909, under new municipal regulations requiring two floors in this area, a new project was presented by Antonio Pintor for the upper floor of the building.

The building’s construction scheme follows the vernacular tradition, confirmed by the use of certain materials such as the dressed stone of its grand doorway and the framing of the openings, achieving appreciable monumental qualities. It is inside where the most notable element of the building is found: the beautiful courtyard framed like a small cloister, surrounded by an arcade made with prefabricated cast pieces. Delicate pierced spandrels develop between the arches.

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