38 Casa de los Marqueses del Sauzal y Ermita de Franchy

The current building stands on the site occupied by Casa Franchy, a construction of great importance commissioned after the European conquest by this family of Italian origin. In the gardens a famous dragon tree admired by academics for centuries used to stand, but it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1867. Another disaster wiped out the property in 1905, in this case a terrible fire; so it became necessary to draw up plans for a new residence. The building plans were designed by the architect Mariano Estanga, who combined classical elements with romantic classicism. This eclecticism is evident in other buildings by this architect, some to be found in La Orotava. Opposite the house stands the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, begun in the sixteenth century although with later alterations.