Catalina Lercaro
Encyclopedia
Catalina Lercaro 16th century
, was an Italian-Canarian woman belonging to the family of Lercaro, renowned in the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna
(Tenerife
, Canary Islands
, Spain
).
The Lercaro were an important family of Genoese
merchants, based in Tenerife after the conquest. Catalina, daughter of Antonio Lercaro, was forced to marry an older man, who enjoyed a good position and great wealth. This marriage of convenience did not please Catalina, who on her wedding day decided to kill herself by leaping into the pit which is located in the courtyard of his house-mansion (now the Museum of the History of Tenerife
). The legend suggests that Catalina body is buried in one of the rooms in the house, because, having committed suicide, the Church opposed to his receiving a Christian
burial in a cemetery. These facts led Lercaro the family moved to live in La Orotava. Since then many people claim to have seen the specter of Catalina Lercaro walking through the halls of the museum. Later in 1993 the manor house became the present Museum of History and Anthropology of Tenerife
.
Currently Catalina Lercaro is the "spectrum
" most famous Canary Islands.
16th century
As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century lasted from 1501 to 1600. It is regarded by historians as the century in which the rise of the West occurred....
, was an Italian-Canarian woman belonging to the family of Lercaro, renowned in the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna
San Cristóbal de la Laguna
San Cristóbal de La Laguna is a city and municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the Canary Islands . The city is third-most populous city of the archipelago and second-most populous city of the island. It is a suburban area of the...
(Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
).
The Lercaro were an important family of Genoese
Genoese
Genoese may refer to:* A person from Genoa* The Genoese dialect a variant of main Ligurian language* The Republic of Genoa, a state in Liguria from ca. 1100 to 1805 with various possessions in the Mediterranean...
merchants, based in Tenerife after the conquest. Catalina, daughter of Antonio Lercaro, was forced to marry an older man, who enjoyed a good position and great wealth. This marriage of convenience did not please Catalina, who on her wedding day decided to kill herself by leaping into the pit which is located in the courtyard of his house-mansion (now the Museum of the History of Tenerife
Museum of the History of Tenerife
The Museum of History and Anthropology of Tenerife, part of the Autonomous Organism of Museums and the Cabildo de Tenerife. It opened in December 1993 in the property known as "Casa Lercaro" in San Cristóbal de La Laguna ....
). The legend suggests that Catalina body is buried in one of the rooms in the house, because, having committed suicide, the Church opposed to his receiving a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
burial in a cemetery. These facts led Lercaro the family moved to live in La Orotava. Since then many people claim to have seen the specter of Catalina Lercaro walking through the halls of the museum. Later in 1993 the manor house became the present Museum of History and Anthropology of Tenerife
Museum of the History of Tenerife
The Museum of History and Anthropology of Tenerife, part of the Autonomous Organism of Museums and the Cabildo de Tenerife. It opened in December 1993 in the property known as "Casa Lercaro" in San Cristóbal de La Laguna ....
.
Currently Catalina Lercaro is the "spectrum
Spectrum
A spectrum is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary infinitely within a continuum. The word saw its first scientific use within the field of optics to describe the rainbow of colors in visible light when separated using a prism; it has since been applied by...
" most famous Canary Islands.