Canary Islands, was built later in 1959. It sits over the remains of a small church that had burned down a few hundred meters away from the cave. King Philip III was declared protector of the Virgin of Candelaria. After ascending the throne, the Spanish monarch gave the title of "Royal" to this sanctuary - the first sanctuary in the Canary Islands to have received that title. In this cave there is also a statue of saint Blas, whose original statue was placed there in 1530 and substituted much later with the present one from sculptor Fernando Estévez. Thus the cave remains honoured by the statue of a saint and maintains its tradition of worship in February: on February 2 there is a religious ceremony in honour of the Virgin of Candelaria and on February 3 the worship is dedicated to saint Blas, with the statue carried out in procession around the plaza de la Patrona de Canarias. This is why the Achbinico cave is also called Saint Blas' cave, with both names in use. Prehistory Various archaeological excavations have proved that the cave was a place of worship long before the Guanches placed the statue of the Virgin in it. According to recent excavations, the layers of ashes found there and subjected to carbon-14 dating indicate an age of more than 3000 years. In this cave a permanent fire had been maintained, such as in the vestal temples of Antique Rome. This sacred character held from very ancient times would explain that after the conquest the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands placed the Virgin precisely in this cave and nowhere else. See also Basilica of Candelaria Candelaria Cave of Chinguaro References Guanche Achbinico Achbinico Achbinico Cave churches Tenerife Catholic Church in the Canary Islands Religious buildings and structures in the Canary Islands