CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS TENERIFE

This delightful church combines simplicity with elaborate, abundant decoration. Most striking are the wooden ceiling, a painted arch, a fine organ and two baroque retablos (altar-pieces) dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. To the right of the high altar is a separate chapel with a Moorish style ceiling. The church, built in 1680, was originally part of the Franciscan monastery of San Pedro de Alcantara, said to have been founded by Irish refugees fleeing from Elizabeth I's anti-Catholic tyranny. The monastery no longer exists, but the buildings now house the Municipal Fine Arts Museum the square in which it stands was once the friary garden.