Our Lady of the Conception

Historical patron saint of Fuerteventura · Betancuria (Las Palmas)

In Betancuria, the first capital of Fuerteventura, the main church houses a beautiful carving of the Immaculate Conception, the island's historical patron saint, the original Marian focus from which the evangelization of Fuerteventura began.

Origin and history

The parish church of Santa María de Betancuria, also called the Main Church of Our Lady of the Conception, is considered the first parish on the island of Fuerteventura, in what was its first capital. The current church is the result of successive reconstructions following attacks and fires; in the main niche of its altarpiece is venerated a carving of the Immaculate Conception, described as one of the most interesting in Fuerteventura and the island's historical patron saint.

This Marian devotional primacy dates back to the time when Betancuria was the capital and main ecclesiastical center of Fuerteventura. Today, the official patron saint of the island is Our Lady of the Rock, whose shrine is located in the hermitage of Vega de Río Palmas, within the same municipality; but the Immaculate Conception of Betancuria retains its character as the original Marian center, with festivities around December 8th.

Canonical coronation and documents of the change of island patronage: they are not found in the sources.