Festival
Fiestas de San Antonio Abad
Across the Canary Islands, images of Saint Anthony the Abbot, protector of animals, are found in countless hermitages and churches. Yet the municipality of Fuencaliente is the only one on the island of La Palma where this Saint is the patron of the municipality.
Across the Canary Islands, images of Saint Anthony the Abbot, protector of animals, are found in countless hermitages and churches. Yet the municipality of Fuencaliente is the only one on the island of La Palma where this Saint is the patron of the municipality.
Every 17 January the parish priest performs the traditional blessing of the animals in the church square. When evening comes, after a solemn religious service, the image of Saint Anthony the Abbot is carried in procession on the shoulders of the people of Fuencaliente, accompanied by the municipal music band, through the streets of the village. Besides the carving on the altar of the Church of San Antonio Abad, there is another of equal size in the chapel of the municipal cemetery.
