Casa de los Jesuitas - La Laguna

The Jesuit order has been based in La Laguna since 1639 , the year in which Canon Juan González Boza bequeathed his houses in Calle Juan de Vera, next to the Hospital de Dolores, to the Society to found a school. Construction of the building did not begin until 1733 .

The building stands out for its stately Canarian style and Baroque decoration. It had an oratory, of which the beautiful semicircular arch that gave access to it has been preserved. It was inhabited by the Jesuits until they were expelled from the islands by King Charles III in 1767. A few years later, in 1777, the Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País de Tenerife (Royal Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País de Tenerife) was founded here.

Inside is one of the island's most interesting historical archives and a library with unique Enlightenment period specimens belonging to the Nava family.
It was also the first seat of the University of San Fernando , the germ of today's University of La Laguna, until it was moved to the Central Campus building in the mid-20th century.

Author: Willem Vandenameele