The Saint Augustine Cross in El Toscal will be moved to Casa Pisaca.

The famous Cross of Saint Augustine, which stands at the corner of La Marina and San Francisco streets in the El Toscal district, will soon be moved to a new location. Purificación Dávila, the councilor for the Ifara district, assured that "this is already being worked on." Although she did not specify an exact date or location, the DIARIO DE AVISOS newspaper has learned that the cross is planned to be installed near Casa Pisaca.

The El Toscal area is currently undergoing renovation work. There are plans for more pedestrian zones, green spaces, parking, and improvements to public spaces. As a result, the wall surrounding the cross was demolished in July 2024. This cross commemorates the former hospice once founded here by the Augustinians.

In addition, several months ago, two houses next to the cross, which had murals painted back in 2018 when the decision was made to restore the crucifix, were demolished.

After the demolition, local residents from the El Toscal de las Tribulaciones association complained that the builders had fenced everything off with metal fences and netting, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road. There was also a lot of garbage and weeds.

Now, the city council wants to clean up the area and move the cross closer to Casa Pisaca to protect it.

The history of the Cross of Saint Augustine dates back to the 18th century. At that time, it was part of a former hospice founded by monks on the road to Paso Alto, where El Toscal is now located. When the monks closed the hospice and moved to La Laguna in 1797, the cross remained nearby.

In 1908, local residents asked the city authorities to allocate land for a chapel for the Cross of Saint Augustine. However, they were refused, so the Rodríguez López family moved the cross to their house on La Marina Street. Later, it was rescued by the Luz y Vida association, which installed it in the square in front of the current Architect Marrero Regalado Square.