Palacio Salazar - La Laguna

The first references to its construction date from 1629 , with the intervention of stonemasons and carpenters. But in the mid-17th century, the exceptional building as we know it today was built by Maestre de Campo Cristóbal Lázaro Salazar de Frías, the first Count of Valle de Salazar, and it was completed with the order for the construction of the noble facade in 1681.

The house, of traditional Canarian construction, served in 1723 as the residence of the Captain General of the Canary Islands Valhermoso. In 1858 it was inaugurated by the casino “El Porvenir” . It was then purchased by Bishop Ramón Torrijos y Gómez (1888-1894) as a bishop's residence, a use that is still in use today.

On January 23, 2006, it was hit by a fire, which led to the recent reconstruction of the building for the Diocese of Nivar.

The facade has two floors. The windows of the upper part are flanked by Corinthian columns with triangular pediments; the central window, with paired columns, ends in a pediment with rounded corners, supporting an attic of carved stone with ornamental motifs, and in the center the white Carrara marble coat of arms of the House of Salazar with the crown.

At the corners are two quadrangular turrets, higher than the attic, with balconies and stone copings. In general, it has many ornamental parallels with another example of island baroque, the Nava Palace in the Plaza del Adelantado.

The entrance door , with a modern iron gate with the coat of arms of Bishop Torrijos , leads to the courtyard . On both sides of the courtyard there are columns on pedestals with a diamond motif. The three-part stone staircase , built on a vault and covered with a coffered ceiling, is located opposite the entrance. This leads to the private quarters of the diocese, the chapel and some rooms with interesting vaulted ceilings.

Author: Willem Vandenameele