''Plaza de San Francisco de Asís'' (

Saint Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a Mysticism, mystic Italian Catholic Church, Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most vener ...

Square) is a public square in the district of

Old Havana Old Havana ( es, link=no, La Habana Vieja) is the city-center (downtown) and one of the 15 municipalities (or boroughs) forming Havana, Cuba. It has the second highest population density in the city and contains the core of the original city of ...

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

History

Founded on 2 June 1628, this plaza is one of the oldest squares in Havana. It is named after the nearby ''Convento de San Francisco de Asís'', a Franciscan convent built between 1575 and 1591. A market was historically held in this square, which was eventually moved to the '' Plaza Vieja'' as the monks from the church complained of the noise. The ''Lonja del Comercio'' building on the north side of the square opened in 1909. The iconic Fuente de los Leones, built by Italian sculptor

Giuseppe Gaggini ''The subject of this article is different to sculptor Giuseppe Gagini of Palermo, Sicily, who died in 1610'' Giuseppe Gaggini (Genoa, April 25, 1791 – May 1, 1867) was an Italian sculptor. Biography He gained a stipend from the Ligurian gover ...

, was installed in 1836. In 1761, José Martín Félix de Arrate, Mayor of Havana, considered the ''Plaza'' to be the best place in the city. Both the city hall (''casas capitulares''), police house, jailhouse and customs office faced the ''Plaza'' at the time.

Present Day

''Plaza de San Francisco de Asís'' and adjacent buildings such as the ''Lonja del Comercio'' underwent a restoration in the 1990s. In current times, it is a tourism hub with numerous restaurants. It is in close proximity to the Sierra Maestra cruise ship terminal.

References

{{Havana landmarks Tourist attractions in Havana 17th-century establishments in Cuba Odonyms referring to religion