The concept of 'city' on Lanzarote needs reconsideration. The only 'real' city on this tiny island is it's capital, Arrecife. Teguise is considered a city as well. In our eyes it was a small village.
Mancha Blanca isn't even a small village. It is a couple of streets with loosely strewn houses along them. So not the 'charming little city' the tourist guide spoke of, although charming it is.
Really large though is the space around the famous Lanzarote pelgrimage Church: Nuestra Sigñora de los Dolores, Our Lady of the Pains (or Sufferings).
The Church is built on the exact spot where the lava of the destructive 1824 volcanic outburst stopped - thus sparing the village. Hence the church - and now people from all over the island visit the tiny, whitewashed church each year on september 15th, in celebration of the Virgin of the Volcanoes.
Since the church cannot possibly house all these pilgrims a large open space is created next to the church to host everyone attending the feast.
The church is a beauty.
World wide famous churches tend to be huge and impressive with lots of beautiful stained glass windows, paintings, frescos and famous persons buried in them.
But let's never forget the small, tiny and seemingly insignificant ones.
Like this square built, unobtrusive little building, with funny little cubelike extensions. From the outside nothing special but then you enter it - as if they recreated lava bubbles. A very round, white plastered roof, and the altar under the tower built as round as - well, yes, a lava bubble.
In it a beautiful Madonna, white faced, wearing a dark, gold embroided mantle worn as the Spanish mantilla. Around her beautiful bouquets of fresh flowers - I've not seen flowers growing on the island yet.
The church was quiet, and it was so restful to hear the occasional voices of people outside speaking to each other drifting in the silence of the church.
We sat there simply enjoying the quiet. A lovely place it is.
Mancha Blanca isn't even a small village. It is a couple of streets with loosely strewn houses along them. So not the 'charming little city' the tourist guide spoke of, although charming it is.
Really large though is the space around the famous Lanzarote pelgrimage Church: Nuestra Sigñora de los Dolores, Our Lady of the Pains (or Sufferings).
The Church is built on the exact spot where the lava of the destructive 1824 volcanic outburst stopped - thus sparing the village. Hence the church - and now people from all over the island visit the tiny, whitewashed church each year on september 15th, in celebration of the Virgin of the Volcanoes.
Since the church cannot possibly house all these pilgrims a large open space is created next to the church to host everyone attending the feast.
The church is a beauty.
World wide famous churches tend to be huge and impressive with lots of beautiful stained glass windows, paintings, frescos and famous persons buried in them.
But let's never forget the small, tiny and seemingly insignificant ones.
Like this square built, unobtrusive little building, with funny little cubelike extensions. From the outside nothing special but then you enter it - as if they recreated lava bubbles. A very round, white plastered roof, and the altar under the tower built as round as - well, yes, a lava bubble.
In it a beautiful Madonna, white faced, wearing a dark, gold embroided mantle worn as the Spanish mantilla. Around her beautiful bouquets of fresh flowers - I've not seen flowers growing on the island yet.
The church was quiet, and it was so restful to hear the occasional voices of people outside speaking to each other drifting in the silence of the church.
We sat there simply enjoying the quiet. A lovely place it is.
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