El Peñon del Fraile

One of Puerto's little gems and a special place for the town's locals is El Peñon del Fraile.

A huge volcanic rock, a product of the eruption of the Taoro volcano in 1430. The gigantic rock slid down cliffs and slopes until it practically reached what was formerly the coast of Puerto de la Cruz, there it cooled and solidified. Here you can climb the steps to the terrace that houses the cross and enjoy a panoramic view of the North Tenerife coastline stretching as far as the eye can see.

This enormous rock owes its name to the penitent friar Juan Jesús, who came to Puerto de la Cruz from Icod de los Vinos. He frequently climbed to the top of the great rock, to isolate himself and better concentrate on his prayers and for many years, devoted himself to meditation at the top of this rock. He placed two dry logs on the high rock, to form the shape of a cross.  Legend has it that the next morning the high land surrounding the rock was flourishing.

Luis Lavaggi, a Genoese who came to these lands, like the friar Juan Jesús, he felt enormously attracted by the great rock. From it, in his words "he could admire the most exquisite views of the region, in a setting of peace and tranquility that he had never experienced." As a result of this fascination, in 1813, he beautified the large rock and built a small embankment at its top, adorning it with a huge green cross with bronze knobs and a stone staircase to reach it. The temple itself, with its characteristic 6 columns, was built in 1855. Since then, El Peñón del Fraile has remained practically intact, except for the restoration of its stairs that took place in 2003, and adding a new bronze dome.

The Peñón del Fraile also became a place of executions, and as the story goes, it witnessed the last two executions “with a vile garrote” in Spain.

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