Teror – pilgrimage center

for lovers of pilgrimage places, culture monuments, nature, walks and tranquility

In the picturesque townlet of Teror and its surroundings live aproximately 12.000 inhabitants ant it’s situated in 745 metres above the sea level. If you have never visited Teror, we can recomend it to you for the 3 following reasons:

Since the icon of Virgen Mary have been found here at the end of the 15th century, the place became the most important religious centre of the Canary islands.

Teror is proud of best preserved historic centre in Gran Canaria and to protect its architectonic uniqueness the centre of Teror was declared a historic-artistic complex in 1979.

The third reason is the beautiful countryside that surrounds Teror and the amazing views from the centre itself or from some of the numerous turist trails passing around.

The best day of the year you can choose for visiting Teror is 8th September, because according to the legend, that was the day, when the icon of Virgen Mary appeared here in 1481 in the pine tree that used to stand in the area of the square in front of the basilica.

The church of Our Lady of the Pine was originally established already at the year 1514, when the small hermitage was constructed in the place where the icon appeared. At the beginning of the 17th century the location of the temple was changed because of the unstable subsoil and its characteristic yellow tower was constructed. The tower presents the only part of this period of the church that survived until nowadays. The actual basilica dates to the 18th century and it was built in the neoclassic style.

Another important building in the centre is the old Episcopal palace, that serves partly as a summer residence of the Canarian bishops and partly as a cultural centre and exhibition hall.

In Teror you can visit 2 interesting museums. In the square in front of the basilica you would be certainly captured by the House of the Patrons of the Virgin Foundation (Casa Museo de los Patronos de la Virgen). The entrance fee is 3€ and it´s really worth it, because you would enter the aristocratic residence where in the 16th century used to live the family of Manrique de Lara, that belong to one of the oldest Spanish aristocratic families whose family-tree testimony dates back to the 7th century.

The second museum is El Camarín in the back part of the basilica that displays the splendid costumes of the icon of Virgen Mary. The entrance fee is 1.50 €.

Another place of interest that you shouldn´t miss visiting Teror is the Dominican Convent. You would find it approximately 10 minutes walking from the historic centre (it´s also possible to arrive by car). Although the history of the convent is not as long as the basilica´s one, it presents an arquitectonic jewel of the Twenties. If you are lucky, the nuns will let you enter inside, if not, you can admire it only from the outside.

And if you are lovers of the hiking tours, continue behind the Dominican Convent further. After another 5 minutes walking you will find the entrance into the ranch of Osorio. The farm that originaly belonged to the aristocratic family of Manrique de Lara, is nowadays state-owned, the entrance is for free and several walking trails pass threw its area. In the centre of the farm there is a building that dates back to the first half of the 19th century and its one half is in the traditional Canarian style with the wooden balconies and the other half is in the old colonial English style.