Church of Our Lady of the Assumption

It is, without a doubt, the most outstanding building in the town of Candelario. Of great proportions, it is a mixture of different architectural styles (Mudejar, Baroque, Romanesque and Gothic). Its interior is composed of three naves, separated by large semicircular arches. In the central nave is the main altar, covered by a Mudejar coffered ceiling in whose altarpiece there is an allegory of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. In the lateral naves we find rich altars of the Sacred Hearts; Santa Ana, patron saint of the town, or that of the Christ of Mercy. Among the altarpieces stands out the one dedicated to the Martyrs, work of carving and brush on board of the XVI century. The facade is decorated with a rose window of complicated Gothic tracery and on the north side there is a simple doorway with archivolts and the arms of the Zúñiga family, dukes of Béjar and lords of the town of Candelario. The first stone was laid in 1329, although its construction must have been deficient, since in the 17th century part of its masonry collapsed, proceeding to the construction of another on the initiative of the Duke of Béjar, who contributed with his own funds to the reconstruction of the same, hence the coat of arms of the ducal house on the doorway of the north side. In the tower of the temple, of 28 meters and exterior entrance, was installed the clock that marked the time of the town. Like the church, the original tower was much more slender, but in 1929, during a storm, part of it collapsed and when it was rebuilt it was not finished off.