Victoria Gardens

The town of La Orotava, in the north of the island of Tenerife, has a long gardening tradition, being perhaps the most outstanding of those that the chroniclers transmit to us The Francy Gardens, now almost disappeared, in which could be admired  the exceptional Great Drago de la Orotava, lost in 1867 as a result of a storm. The said Drago came to measure 20 meters in height, which compared to the 17 meters of the current Millennial Drago of Icod de los Vinos, makes us understand better its exceptional size.

But returning to our story, the Victoria Garden of La Orotava, is nowadays, with the consent of the Hijuela del Botánico, the best garden open to the public in the town.

It is a green area built in 1884 on seven stepped terraces culminating in a marble mausoleum, all designed by the French architect Adolphe Coquet by order of Mrs. Sebastiana del Castillo Manrique de Lara, mother of the VII Marquess of the Quinta Roja, Mr. Diego Ponte del Castillo.

Mr. Diego, the Marquis, was a prominent member of the Freemasonry and a contumacious critic of the Catholic Church, reason why burial in the local cemetery was denied to him and reason for which his mother in anticipation of the event of having his son lacking a dignified mortuary place, ordered the work that we can admire today.

In the end, at the death of the Marquis, his family managed him to be buried in a Christian way, so the mausoleum never became occupied, constituting today a beautiful watchtower over the Orotava valley from which also a good perspective of the historical center of the town can be enjoyed.

To wander through the different terraces that make up this magnificent free entrance garden, it is a fantastic opportunity to look for a haven of peace in the heart of this historic town, offering spaces for walking and enjoying the views, but also sections and solitary benches for reading and meditation surrounded by roses and other flowers.