Iglesia de la Virgen de la Candelaria

About

The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria is a church and parish of Moya, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. The present church was built on the edge of its barranco, completed in 1957.

A simple hermitage at the site of the present church on the edge of the Barranco de Moya is documented in 1495. It had a single nave, and was often enlarged and rebuilt.

The present church was designed by architect Fernando Delgado from Gran Canaria, and built from 1940 to 1957. It is a high vaulted building with three naves. It features many stained glass windows, and sculptures including an anonymous 16th-century Saint Joseph with baby Jesus, two works by José Miguel Luján Pérez [ es ], the Sacred Heart and Jude the Apostle. The main attraction is a 15th-century Virgen de la Candelaria ( Mary of Candlemas ), the patron saint of Moya, made of cedar wood and dressed in clothes.

The principal feasts celebrated in the church are Candlemas on 2 February, and a pilgrimage to San Antonio de Padua on the Saturday closest to the saint's day on 13 June.