Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
Like an oasis of peace and freshness, this church appeared before me on a hot day in La Gomera. San Sebastián is not a loud city, on the contrary, but after surrounding the island by car, it was amazing to walk around, the perfect way to end the day.
Let’s talk about the temple. This church was the main temple of the capital, built on the remains of an old chapel. The original building was erected in times of the first Hernán Peraza. The first years of his existence are marked by successive pirate attacks and fires, which meant that a great part of his archive disappeared. The wealth of the patrimony inside includes the coffering in Mudejar style, the renaissance boards and several images and pictorial works; the crucified Christ of Luján Pérez is outstanding.
Today’s church combines the harmony of the mudejar, gothic and baroque styles. The façade has a central body for the main entrance, made of red tuff and two lateral doors in white stone. The great change in the building happened in the middle of the 18th century, when the chapel of Pilar was built, representing the triumph of the local people over the invaders. The fresco in the wall that reflects the invasion, made by the English admiral, Charles Windhan, in 1743, is worth noticing.
