The exhibition, inaugurated on Monday, November 9, aims to remember and bring citizens closer to one of the most significant episodes in local history. The event included a welcome from the prior of the Dominican Fathers and rector of the Basilica, friar Dailos José Melo González, who thanked the Candelaria City Council and the Directorate General of Culture and Cultural Heritage of the Government of the Canary Islands for their collaboration.
The mayor, Mari Brito, highlighted that the flood was one of the most tragic episodes in Candelaria's history, destroying parts of the convent and sanctuary. She noted that the exhibition allows for recognizing the resilience of ancestors and the importance of preserving heritage for future generations.
The bishop of the Nivariense Diocese, monseñor Eloy Alberto Santiago Santiago, emphasized the exhibition's importance in raising awareness of the event's magnitude, comparing it to recent weather alerts. He recalled the 1826 storm, which caused one of the greatest catastrophes in the islands' history without current warning systems.
The Director General of Culture and Cultural Heritage of the Government of the Canary Islands, Miguel Ángel Clavijo, described the flood as a human and material catastrophe, stressing the loss of the original Virgin image as a sentimental blow to Tenerife's society. He highlighted that memory is the most important heritage and that remembering it is an act of justice.
The exhibition's curator, Pablo Hernández Abreu, explained that the exhibition is structured in three blocks (past, present, and future) and features works and documents loaned by various institutions from Tenerife, including monasteries, parishes, and the Municipal Museum of Fine Arts.
The exhibition can be visited until February 3, 2027, in the old church of the Candelaria convent. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, from 4:00 PM to 7:30 PM, and Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, from 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM.
