Artistic heritage
Sculpture
The sculptural heritage of the Sanctuary treasures a rich catalogue of religious imagery ranging from the 14th-15th century, such as the sculpture of the Virgen de las Nieves; the 16th century, with the collection of Flemish art, as well as 17th and 18th century works from Seville and those made on the island.
The Virgin de las Nieves
The image of Our Lady of the Snows is a polychrome terracotta sculpture in the late Gothic style, with Romanesque reminiscences, and overdressed in the style of the Spanish court of the 16th century. It is attributed to the sculptor Lorenzo Mercadante of Brittany, between 1460 and 1468.
Flemish art
In the sanctuary we can see several examples of Gothic-Renaissance sculpture from the Netherlands, such as: Our Lady of the Angels, Saint Michael the Archangel and the extraordinary Calvary of Amparo (considered to be one of the best examples of its style in Spain and one of the most important in Europe).
The Altarpieces
The main altarpiece, designed in 1701 by the painter and sculptor Bernardo Manuel de Silva, stands out. It is a Baroque altarpiece, with a marked Portuguese influence, with a single large central niche, which houses the image of the Virgin of Las Nieves, open towards the chapel, flanked by two smaller niches.
Painting
The Sanctuary possesses one of the richest artistic treasures conserved in ecclesiastical environments in the Canary Islands. The seven Exvotos Marineros (votive offerings) are particularly noteworthy, especially the one dated 1639, which is the second oldest in Spain; also the Vera Efigie de la Virgen de las Nieves from the 17th century, one of the oldest preserved, or the Sagrada Familia, from 1697, attributed to Bernardo Manuel de Silva, which can be found in the sacristy. Also worthy of note are the Frescoes of the vault in the Main Chapel, the work of Ubaldo Bordanova.
Gold and silverware
The Sanctuary conserves a large number of pieces of gold and silver work, mainly donated or donated directly by the devotees.
The Festive Altar of Our Lady of the Snows was begun in 1672, the year in which the first donations of silver were made for its composition, and the steps and lateral finials were completed in 1733 (it also includes a tabernacle, dated 1713, and a frontal, donated in 1714). The silver baldachin platform platform, the work of the Palmero goldsmith Pedro Leonardo de Santa Cruz, dates from 1665 and is the oldest in the archipelago.
There are also objects dedicated to worship such as: the Monstrance (donated in 1666), the six Ochavado Lanterns (1768), the Processional Cross (1704) among other sumptuary objects.
