Church of San Agustín

The Augustinian Convent of San Sebastián, the oldest of its kind in Icod de los Vinos, traces its origins to 1585, when Bishop Fernando Rueda of the Canary Islands donated a small hermitage dedicated to Saint Sebastian to the Order of Saint Augustine, so that a convent bearing his name could be founded there. Although the convent itself has disappeared, the Church of San Agustín remains standing, as the site was later redeveloped to house the current Town Hall and the Plaza Luis León Huerta.

The church is located within the boundaries of the Historic Quarter of Icod de los Vinos, declared a Site of Cultural Interest (Bien de Interés Cultural). From its foundation, the Augustinian convent enjoyed the patronage of prominent local families such as the Alzola, Fernández, Montiel, and Esteves, who financed chapels, altars, and other elements of the temple. This support allowed the convent to flourish throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.

Following the Ecclesiastical Confiscation (Desamortización), the convent was closed in 1821, and its church ceased religious functions. From 1822, the building was repurposed for civil use, serving as a charity house and school. In 1861, the church was reopened as an auxiliary parish of San Marcos, with Saint Augustine as its patron saint, and Our Lady of Grace and Saint Sebastian as co-patrons.

The Church of San Agustín is considered a gem of Canarian Mudejar architecture, notable for preserving two unique brick arches, the only ones of their kind in the Canary Islands. One of them, dated 1599 and completed before 1608, separates the main chapel from the rest of the nave. Both arches rest on elegant Tuscan-style columns. The current façade, significantly modified during the 20th century, still bears an inscription from 1777 above its main doorway.