Tenerife Island: La Laguna’s Iglesia de la Concepción and Its Bell Tower

I came to Tenerife, often spoken of as one of Spain’s most beautiful islands, and found myself looking for an old church. Tenerife is the kind of island that first brings to mind sea and sunshine, yet my travels most often become deepest in the quiet moment of “sitting on a church pew for a while”. Walking through the lanes of La Laguna, I stepped into the Iglesia de la Concepción and sat there for a long time in silent contemplation.

 

La Laguna, Tenerife

La Laguna is a city made for walking. The streets were straight, and the rhythm of windows and doorframes continued in a calm, steady pattern. After turning a few corners, the church appeared. Even without a large sign, I could sense that distinct “quiet centre” that churches often carry. I opened the door and went inside.

I sat on a pew at the very back and offered a short prayer in my heart. When you pray while travelling, it doesn’t need to be long. Even a brief prayer in silence can turn the heart back towards God.

In front of the altar inside the Iglesia de la Concepción in La Laguna, Tenerife.

Iglesia de la Concepción

Inside the Iglesia de la Concepción (a Catholic parish church in La Laguna), what stood out first was not splendour but strength. The depth created by the arches and columns, the grain of the wooden ceiling, and the clear movement of the gaze towards the altar all felt unmistakable.

When you travel, there is so much you feel you must see that the mind becomes hurried. But inside a church, it feels as though you are being gently told, “You may stop looking now.” I don’t begin by taking photographs when I enter. I find it more important to sit and simply be there for a moment. I let my eyes rest where the candles were placed, and there I lowered my heart once again.

The Bell Tower of the Iglesia de la Concepción

One of the reasons I came here was the bell tower. Whenever I come across a church while travelling, I try to climb the tower if I can. Partly it is for the view, but more often it is because a bell tower becomes a place from which you can understand a city.

As I began climbing the steps, a different kind of silence followed me—distinct from the stillness inside the church. Only my footsteps sounded clearly, and my breath slowly rose. The higher I went, the clearer it became what I was really going up to see. The tower felt less like a structure built for height and more like a small pilgrim path—one that gathers the mind and steadies the pace of the heart.

What makes this tower special is not only the view. It is known as a landmark that carries a 17th-century history and stands as a symbol of La Laguna’s old town. It is also said to hold the largest bell in the Canary Islands. So this becomes more than “a place to take photographs from above”; it feels like a place where you meet the city’s time and its sound.

At the top, La Laguna opened out all at once. Down in the lanes, I had only seen fragments; from above, those fragments became lines that connected. The direction of the streets, the repetition of rooftops, the horizon made by low buildings, and the depth of the sky beyond—everything came together into a single scene.

In that moment, I felt again why a church becomes the centre of a city. A church is not only a religious building; it is a place that has gathered the life of a community over many years. Bells have marked time, called people together, and opened the hours of prayer.

Why this bell tower is special

1. A symbolic landmark of La Laguna
This tower is often mentioned as one of the defining markers of La Laguna’s UNESCO-listed historic centre—a landmark that your gaze returns to, wherever you walk.

 

2. Historical value
The present tower was built in the late 17th century (replacing an earlier one), and is introduced as an important trace of the island’s architectural history.

 

3. Distinctive architectural style
It is described as a Tuscan-style bell tower, sometimes compared to the bell tower of Turin Cathedral in Italy. It is one of those moments in Tenerife when you suddenly see an Italian line in the skyline.

 

4. The largest bell in the Canary Islands
The tower is said to house the largest bell in the Canary Islands. Passing right beside the bells near the top becomes a vivid memory of “view + sound”—a small soundscape of the city itself. Some visitors also note that there are several bells (for instance, six).

 

5. A viewpoint that works like an observatory 
From above, La Laguna’s structure becomes clear at a glance. In that sense, the tower is not merely a scenic viewpoint, but a place that helps you read the city—its plan, its rhythm, and its historic texture.

 

After coming down from the tower, I sat inside the church again for a moment. On the way up, anticipation and curiosity had been at the front of my mind; on the way down, what remained more clearly was gratitude. Then I stepped back out into La Laguna’s lanes. It was the same route, yet it looked slightly different. Once you have “organised” a city from above and come back down, your steps feel less unsteady. In that way, I found myself once again on a journey that felt like walking in the manner of a pilgrimage.

 

On a pilgrimage path towards my mother, now a star
– Little Star

 

 

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