Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

Gazing at the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, one can almost feel the weight of nearly 400 years of history. The Ermita de Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de Guadalupe stands in Agua de Bueyes, Antigua. It sits on a slight rise, an extension of the southeastern slope of Lomo la Virgen. Doña. María Gutiérrez founded this sanctuary on January 28, 1642. She and her brother, Diego Cabrera León, endowed it on September 18, 1644. The original Ermita de Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de Guadalupe was a simple structure. Its walls were made of rubble masonry. The roof was a mixture of mortar and poor-quality wood. The first recorded construction work dates back to 1644. In 1718, significant expansions began. The ermita was rebuilt from the ground up, this time with a tiled wooden roof and a brick floor. The use of ashlar was reserved for the openings. D. Esteban González de Socueva blessed the new Ermita de Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de Guadalupe in 1731. The sacristy wasn’t added until 1757. The simple, arched bell tower followed between 1770 and 1773. Around the same time, a protective crenelated wall, or barbacan, was built around the entire complex. Gates were added to this wall in 1792 to keep out livestock. The Ermita de Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de Guadalupe you see today hasn’t changed much since then. It features a single nave with a gabled, tiled roof. The sacristy is attached to the north wall. Two doors, facing west and south, lead into the ermita. Both have jambs and voussoirs that form semicircular arches, all crafted from white ashlar. The main west-facing facade is adorned with a carved cross and an oculus, also in white ashlar. The arched bell tower, also made of ashlar, is positioned on the upper right side of the facade. The entire ensemble is encircled by the crenelated barbacan. The barbacan has two openings aligned with the ermita’s doors. The main opening, on the west side, mirrors the ermita’s doorways with jambs, voussoirs, and a semicircular arch of white ashlar. Three decorative motifs, also carved in light-colored ashlar, embellish the area around it. Inside, the wooden, gabled roof is decorated with simple geometric patterns. The Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe stands as a testament to the enduring faith and architectural heritage of Fuerteventura.