La Orotava Cemetery

La Orotava Cemetery is one of Tenerife's oldest and architecturally most significant burial grounds, recognized in 2005 as a protected cultural heritage monument of the Canary Islands. Located in the town of La Orotava, an area known for its lush gardens and historic mansions, the cemetery itself was conceived less as a purely functional burial site and more as a landscaped, garden-like space.

How did the cemetery come to be built?

Until the early 19th century, residents of La Orotava were traditionally buried inside churches and on adjoining church grounds. This practice persisted for decades even after King Charles III issued a royal decree banning church burials back in 1787, largely because no alternative burial site existed. A first proposal for a separate municipal cemetery dates back to 1790, put forward by lieutenant colonel Juan Antonio de Urtusaústegui y Lugo, who suggested a site next to the new church of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción. That plan was never carried out due to serious problems with the proposed location.

It ultimately took a tragic emergency to force the issue. On 19 July 1823, when a child named Vicente Barroso died and no space remained for burial in the town's churches, the still-unfinished cemetery had to be hastily consecrated so the burial could take place there. The land itself came from the Marquis of Acialcázar and Torrehermosa, who was compelled to cede part of his property, placing the new cemetery next to the orchards of the San Lorenzo convent.

Who designed the cemetery?

Although the original architectural plan was never fully executed, the cemetery's layout is credited to sculptor Fernando Estévez de Salas, a native of La Orotava. He designed the necropolis in a romantic style, more akin to a garden than a conventional graveyard. He is also responsible for the central chapel, built using local volcanic stone. The oldest surviving elements of the site are precisely this chapel, the row of family mausoleums facing it, and the entire interior perimeter wall.

Which tombs stand out?

The cemetery preserves the family mausoleums of several prominent local lineages, including that of the Marquis de la Quinta Roja and the Monteverde family. These stone structures, often decorated in period style, reflect the wealth and social standing of local families during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

What is the cemetery's connection to Freemasonry?

La Orotava Cemetery played an unusual role in the historical conflict between the Catholic Church and Masonic lodges in the Canary Islands. After two prominent Freemasons were buried there, church authorities declared the cemetery "desecrated." The local lodge, founded in 1874, was in confrontation with church hierarchy from its very beginning, and traces of that dispute are still visible in certain symbols found on some tombstones — though historians continue to debate which of these monuments are genuinely Masonic in nature and which are simply family tombs featuring elaborate symbolism.

Frequently asked questions

When was La Orotava Cemetery established? It was hastily consecrated on 19 July 1823, though initial plans for its construction date back to 1790.

Who designed the cemetery's layout? Sculptor Fernando Estévez de Salas, who conceived it as a romantic garden-style necropolis and also designed its central chapel.

Why was the cemetery considered "desecrated"? Because two well-known Freemasons were buried there, sparking a dispute with church authorities.

Does the cemetery have heritage protection? Yes, it was declared a cultural heritage monument of the Canary Islands in 2005.