Convento e Igrexa de San Francisco de Pontevedra

Convento e Igrexa de San Francisco Convento de San Francisco (Pontevedra) Praza da Estrela, s/n, 36002 Pontevedra Convento de San Francisco de Pontevedra In the center of the city of Pontevedra there is a large square, called A Ferrería. For centuries, it has been a meeting point for many citizens of Pontevedra and the region. A few meters from the square is the famous La Peregrina church and sanctuary, a symbol of the city of Pontevedra. On one side of the square stands the 13th-century Franciscan church and convent, adjacent to the current delegation of the Treasury. It is said that Saint Francis went on a pilgrimage to Compostela and in 1214 established the first Franciscan convent there, which later became a model for many other temples in the Galician region. The Convent of San Francisco de Pontevedra follows the pattern of the Latin cross plan of Santiago, with a nave, transept, triple apse head, one of which is a larger central apse and two polygonal side apses, covered with ribbed vaults, while the nave is covered with wood. The old Franciscan convent received its first donation in 1274. From the 13th century, only the front and main body of the temple are preserved. The altar and apse were built in the 14th century. In the following centuries, the staircase leading to the main door (1853) and the Dominican door of the same century were built, which is now the Treasury office, once belonged to the convent, was part of the city wall. The temple was restored in 1923, caught fire in 1995, and had to be restored again. Inside are the tombs of Padre Gómez Chariño, Xoán Feijoo de Soutomaior and Paio de Montenegro. The tomb of Paio Gómez Chariño stands out in its austere interior decoration, he was a troubadour and admiral at the end of the 13th century. On its front, we will see a pointed arch, with a double vault, supported on two pairs of connected columns. Above it is a large rose window in Cistercian style. On either side of the entrance are a buttress and two trumpet-shaped windows with pointed arches. Above the rose window is the shield symbolizing the Franciscans. On the left stands a tower with a bell tower. According to records, the convent was founded by Francisco de Asís, who stopped in Pontevedra on the Camino de Santiago route in Portugal. The arrival of the Franciscans in this city may have occurred 30 years after the 13th century. The historical fact is that, according to the records of the National Archives and the will of Arias Fernández, the property of the Armenteira monastery, the foundation existed as early as 1274. The building received financial help from the heirs of Pay Gómez Chariño in 2017. A plot of land from the Soutomaior residence, which was still on the outskirts of the city wall at the time. The splendor of this building aroused the jealousy of the Dominicans stationed in the city, who had completed the church ten years ago and decided to start building another church larger than the Franciscan church in 1380, with five apses. In 1362, the city began to build the cathedral of the Poor Clare Church, similar to the church of San Francisco, but smaller. In addition to these three buildings, the parish church of San Bartolomé also expanded between 1337 and 1339. This peak of construction was due to the large donations from wealthy families, who were afraid of dying from the Black Death that swept Europe in 1297. This church is of late Gothic or pointed style, and was declared a historical-artistic monument in 1896. It has a Latin cross plan, with a nave, transept, wooden roof and apse, the apse has three polygonal apses, covered with ribbed vaults. The building where the Treasury delegation is located was built in 1800, including the Dominican city gate of the 13th-century old city wall. Pontevedra Province, Galicia Autonomous Region