The Church of San Francis of Assisi is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the city of

León, Spain León (; ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the province of León, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León, in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. It has a population of 124,303 (2019), ...

, located on Corredera Street in front of the San Francisco Garden. It is one of the main churches of the city and is associated with the convent of the

Capuchins Capuchin can refer to: *Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, an order of Roman Catholic friars *Capuchin Poor Clares, an order of Roman Catholic contemplative religious sisters *Capuchin monkey, primates of the genus ''Cebus'' and ''Sapajus'', named af ...

History

Built in the southern part outside of the walled city, the first church of San Francisco was built in the 13th century. In 1763, during the reign of

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, the construction of the current church began. It was built larger than the previous one and with classicist forms. Under the direction of Francisco de Rivas, the church finished its construction in 1791 already under the reign of Charles IV. In 1880, the

Third Order of Saint Francis The Third Order of Saint Francis, or Franciscan Tertiaries, is the third order of the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi. Francis founded the Third Order, originally called t ...

bought the church and convent after 44 years without religious use, beginning the restoration of the church building. In this period, the main altar was placed, one of the jewels of the church. The current altarpiece of the church of

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

was once the altarpiece of the

Cathedral of León A cathedral is a church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations with an episcop ...

made in 1733, which for almost one and a half centuries presided over the Leon cathedral. Interior de la iglesia de San Francisco

At the end of the 19th century, during the restoration of the cathedral by

Juan de Madrazo Juan de Madrazo y Kuntz (1829, Madrid - 7 March 1880, Madrid) was a Spanish architect and restoration expert. Life and work He came from a family of illustrious painters. His father was the portrait painter, José Madrazo. His brothers were ...

, the altarpiece was dismantled to return it to the church with more Gothic forms. At that time, the Capuchin community decided to buy the baroque altarpiece and install it in the church of San Francisco. The church's restoration work was completed in 1882. Several restorations in the twentieth century stand out, particularly in 1964 and 1996.

Architecture

Like many churches of this period, the Church of San Francisco follows the model established in the

Church of the Gesù The Church of the Gesù (, ), officially named (), is a church located at Piazza del Gesù in the Pigna (rione of Rome), Pigna ''Rioni of Rome, rione'' of Rome, Italy. It is the mother church of the Society of Jesus (best known as Jesuits). Wi ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, which was a significant model for many Catholic, especially

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

, Baroque churches. The

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

repeats, with simpler materials, the general composition of the Gesù, including the large scrolls supporting the upper region of the nave. In plan, the church echoes the Gesù's single nave with side chapels, shallow

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

s, and a dome over the crossing. The church is attached to the convent of the Capuchin order, which highlights its cloister, and the San Francisco theater.

References

External links

* http://www.sanfranciscoleon.com/ {{coord missing, Spain Buildings and structures in León, Spain Roman Catholic churches in Castile and León Churches completed in 1791