The Hermano Pedro's Way (also known as the Ruta del Hermano Pedro or the Ruta del Camino del Hermano Pedro) is an ancient pilgrimage route, linked to the figure of Saint Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur (better known as ''Santo Hermano Pedro''), who is the first Saint of the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

. It runs approximately 19 kilometers between the municipalities of

Vilaflor Vilaflor is a municipality and village in the south-central part of the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, and part of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (province), Spain. Vilaflor, with an altitude of 1,400 m, is the highest village on Tene ...

San Miguel de Abona San Miguel de Abona is a town and a municipality in the southern part of the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, and part of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. The TF-1 motorway passes through the southern part of the munic ...

and

Granadilla de Abona Granadilla de Abona is a municipality of Tenerife, located in the south of the island, occupying an area of 155 square kilometers. Its population in 2013 was 43,608. In recent years, the population has greatly increased due to an influx of immigr ...

, in the southeast of the island of

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

(

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

History

The Hermano Pedro's Way is, in its origin, a transhumance route used by the

Guanche Guanche may refer to: *Guanches, the indigenous people of the Canary Islands *Guanche language, an extinct language, spoken by the Guanches until the 16th or 17th century *''Conus guanche ''Conus guanche'' is a species of sea snail, a marine ga ...

aborigines to direct their livestock from coast to summit, depending on the season of the year. After the conquest of the island in the 15th century, it continued to be framed by a set of traditional paths, appearing on historical maps of the 18th and 19th centuries. This route was also used in the 17th century by Saint Peter of Betancur during his childhood and adolescence, when he worked as a goat shepherd, before carrying out his missionary and apostolic work in

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

The route

In 2005, following the canonization of the saint three years earlier, a study began with the purpose of recovering, revaluing and institutionalizing the path of Hermano Pedro and its adjacent paths. In addition to highlighting it as a symbol of union of the municipalities of the Abona or Chasna region (

Fasnia Fasnia is a town and a municipality in the eastern part of the Spanish island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, and part of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The municipality extends for from the mountainous interior to the beaches on ...

Arico Arico is the name of a municipality and a village in the southeastern part of the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, Spain. It is part of the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The municipality is located in the southeastern part of ...

and

). The official pilgrimage takes place annually on the Saturday before to April 24 (the saint's holiday). Cave of Santo Hermano Pedro 2020 07

First, a Eucharist takes place at 6:00 in the morning in the main parish of Saint Peter the Apostle in the town of Vilaflor, the saint's hometown. At 7:00 the downhill or descent route begins, crossing part of the municipality of San Miguel de Abona until reaching the popularly known as

cave of Santo Hermano Pedro The Cave-Shrine of Santo Hermano Pedro is a Roman Catholic cave-shrine dedicated to Saint Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur (Canary first saint). It is located in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona, near El Medano on the south of the island o ...

in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona. This place was used by Hermano Pedro as a shelter or refuge with his flock in winter, as a place of prayer and even as a hiding place to protect himself from pirate raids. The trail route lasts approximately five hours. The route is dotted with important samples of natural and cultural heritage; fauna of great interest that can be observed along the route; and other elements. In addition to important architectural elements and

Bien de Interés Cultural (, , , ) is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Colombia and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" ("goods" in the economic sense). It includes not only mater ...

(BIC). Arrival at the cave is estimated at 1:00 p.m., where another Eucharist and the veneration of a relic of the saint takes place. In addition to the promoters and organizers of the route: the municipalities of Vilaflor and Granadilla, other entities and volunteers from the religious space of the cave of Santo Hermano Pedro collaborate. In 2012 this route was promoted in the Network of Religious Routes in Europe with the aim of joining it.

References

External links

XVII Ruta del Camino del Hermano Pedro 2024.
Ayuntamiento de Granadilla de Abona. {{coord missing, Spain Pilgrimage routes Catholic pilgrimage sites Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife Culture of the Canary Islands Religious tourism

History

The route

See also

References

External links