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HISTORIC
ARTISTIC MONUMENTS
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Atlantic
Center of Modern Art: (CAAM)
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This
characteristic building of Vegueta has been changed architecturally.
The patio of the building has been transformed to become the central
element where the views and perspectives captivate the visitor. The
neoclassical mansion had its interior transformed to create three
areas for exhibitions and a basement where the artistic works of the
Cabildo Insular (town council) are stored. This exhibition center
was inaugurated in December 1989 with the idea of increasing the
tricontinental spirit of the islands- Europe, Africa and America.
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The
Cathedral:
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It
was begun in the year 1500 by Diego Alonso de Montaude, who was
followed by four other architects until the construction was
interrupted in 1570. The part that was finished was of a gothic style
in which blue stone was used for the arches, pillars and ribs. The
vaults were built with a lighter more porous stone and yellow
sandstone was used for some parts of the facade. The cathedral
occupies 7000 square meters with a facade of 100 meters. The temple is
laid out like a basilica: three aligned cannon vaults of more than
twenty meters high, held up by ten columns and some twenty pilasters;
there are ten chapels amongst them and another two in the wings of the
transept. In 1533, the first facade and the primitive towers with
octagonal bases similar to those of the basilica in Teror were built.
The choir stalls, pulpits and altarpieces were burnt and sacked by the
Dutch lead by Pieter van Der Does in 1599. At the end of the 18th
century the work was started again and the transept with three main
arches was finished as well as the dome, the main chapel, the vestry,
the flat vault of the crypt, the back facade and the Sala Capitular
among other rooms. Lujan Pérez finished the choir stalls and the
images of the dome and started the facade. In 1852 Isabel II asked
Pedro Maffiote to finish the main facade. At the end of the 19th
century and the beginning of this century, the intricate circular
window, the work of Arroyo, the towers and the small temple situated
on the facade were carried out. Of the neoclassical works, the side
chapel on the northern side had to be finished. The main altarpiece is
gothic dating from 1518 and comes from the school in Seo de Urgel (Lerida).
It was bought and installed in the 1920´s. In front of the altarpiece
hangs a silver Genovese lamp donated in 1678.
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Canary
Museum: |
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The
street called Doctor Chil, dedicated to the founder of the Canary
Museum, finishes at the fountain of the Espíritu Santo. The museum
was founded in 1880. The center holds one of the most important
collections of the remains of Cro-Magnon in the world. It was
classified by a French doctor called Renato Verneau, who between 1881
and 1887 converted it into one of the most important anthropological
museums on the planet. The museum also houses a valuable scientific
library and a splendid library of Canary newspapers and periodicals.
As well as the exhibition rooms dedicated to archeology, there is an
assembly hall for non-permanent exhibitions and conferences. The
building dates from the end of the 19th century and was built on the
land which was once occupied by the convent of San Idelfonso. |
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El Gabinete
Literario (Literary Office):
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The
social life moved from Vegueta to Triana to the lands which were
gained from the church after the confiscation of Mendizábal in 1837.
A reflection of this change was the Gabinete Literario whose walls
show the hustle and bustle of the middle classes enriched through
commerce.
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the end of the 15th century. All that is left of the original
construction is the masonry door-frame and the symbol of the House
of Austria, the bicephalous eagle. The stoneworked baroque belfry
has curved lines. Inside, the main altar is presided over by the
Virgen de los Remedios flanked by San Juan Nepomuceno and San
Antonio Abad.
Gran
Canaria´s part in the discovery of America gave way to the creation
of the house-museum, which was built over the original House of the
Noblemen. The ground floor and the well date from the 15th century
as does the elaborate, gothic facade of yellow stone. Columbus´
House explains the adventure of the Discovery of America by way of
all sorts of pedagogical, didactic and ludic resources which try to
recreate the atmosphere of the era. Inside the house there are
differentiated areas and spaces for the Provincial Museum of Fine
Arts with its collection ceded from the Prado Museum. The building
also contains a workshop for restoration.
