The Convent of St. Francis (Spanish: San Francisco) is a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

located in the city centre of

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a city in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. It is the capital of both the ''Pontevedra (comarca), Comarca'' and Province of Pontevedra, and the capital of the Rías Baixas. It is als ...

(Spain), overlooking the

Plaza de la Herrería A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

. The Gothic church of San Francis is attached to the convent on the southeast side.

History

According to tradition, the convent was founded by

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italians, Italian Mysticism, mystic, poet and Friar, Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Chris ...

, who stopped in Pontevedra when he was on the Portuguese Way to

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

. The arrival of the

Franciscan order The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

in the city may have taken place in the last third of the 13th century, the building being constructed between 1310 and 1360, with the economic help of the heirs of Paio Gomez Charino. The convent was built on the site of a former Templar house and church on land belonging to the Soutomaior noble family, next to the walls of Pontevedra, taking advantage of several old towers, one of which has medieval remains, possibly dating from the 11th century.Saavedra, Segundo, 2011, Un corto viaje a Rías Bajas, Madrid, Anaya Touring, p. 42 At that time it was still outside the city walls. The opulence of this construction was the envy of the members of the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

settled in the city, who had completed their church ten years earlier, and who in 1380 decided to start the construction of another church larger than the Franciscan one, with five apses. In 1362, the construction of the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

of the church of the

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...

, similar to that of St. Francis, but smaller in size, was begun in the city. In addition to these three buildings, the parish church of St Bartholomew the Elder was enlarged between 1337 and 1339. This great building boom was due to the large number of financial donations from wealthy families, fearing death from the

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

that haunted Europe at that time. An extension paid for by Archbishop Malvar at the end of the 18th century replaced the convent's medieval cloister and erected the church tower. Due to its strategic location, the convent has served as a refuge and

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

on several occasions throughout its history. In 1809, it was the French troops who took refuge in it to defend themselves from the people who besieged them and forced them to surrender on 28 February. Also on 24 March 1823, the liberals made a stand from it against the absolutist faction of

Cotobade Cotobade (Spanish Cotobad) is a former local country council in Galicia (Spain) in the province of Pontevedra. It bordered the municipalities of Campo Lameiro, Cerdedo, Forcarei, A Lama, Ponte Caldelas and Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is ...

. After the

Spanish confiscation The Spanish confiscation was the Spanish government's seizure and sale of property, including from the Catholic Church, from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. It was a long historical, economic, and social process beginning with ...

Mendizábal Mendizabal or Mendizábal is a Basque surname meaning 'wide mountain'. It may refer to: *Concepción Mendizábal Mendoza (1893–1985), first female civil engineer in Mexico * Enrique Mendizabal (1918–2017), Olympic Shooter for Peru at the 1948 L ...

in 1835, the convent remained unoccupied as it belonged to the municipality from that moment on. After this

exclaustration In the canon law of the Catholic Church, exclaustration is the official authorization for a member of a religious order (in short, a religious) bound by perpetual vows to live for a limited time outside their religious institute, usually with a vi ...

in 1835, it was the Venerable Third Order that kept the church open for worship. The convent became the residence of the civil governor and the seat of the political government. Between 1836 and 1890, it also housed the offices of the Provincial Council until it was moved to the current

Provincial Palace The Provincial Palace (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Palacete Provincial'') is located in the Historic Center of Manaus, historic center of the city of Manaus, capital of the state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. It is a centenary bu ...

. When, in 1840, Pontevedra was besieged and invaded by troops from Vigo with the aim of removing its status as provincial capital, the inhabitants of Pontevedra defended themselves from the convent of St. Francis,. In 1853, the steps leading to the church were built. In 1885, an attempt was made to install a tobacco factory in the building, but the municipality's request was rejected. In 1891 the convent became the headquarters of the state Treasury Department. At the beginning of the 20th century, the municipal fire station was housed in an outbuilding with a façade at the back of the convent. In 1900, the architect Arturo Calvo Tomelén carried out a series of works on the chevet of the church, during which the windows of the apse and the

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...

of the transept were brought to light. On 15 January 1909, Father Luis María Fernández Espinosa and five other friars returned to the premises, with a twenty-five-year lease for 250 pesetas per year. In 1930, the temple was ceded by the Royal Order and from 1932 the convent became the exclusive use of the Ministry of Finance. On the night of 17 June 1995, the temple burned down and was restored shortly afterwards. The restored church reopened on 5 October 1996. The convent housed the Provincial Treasury until 2010, when it was moved to the Campolongo district.

Description

The church of St. Francis

The church is in the late Gothic or ogival style and was declared a historical and artistic monument in 1896. It corresponds to the model of the mendicant churches and has a Latin cross plan, with a single

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, a wood-covered crossing and a chevet with three polygonal apses, covered with ribbed vaults. The central nave, 100 metres long and 10 metres wide, is the highest of all the Franciscan churches in Galicia. Inside the church are the

sarcophagi A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek σάρξ ' meaning "flesh", and φ� ...

of Paio Gomez Charino, Juan Feijóo de Soutomaior and Pelayo de Montenegro. The church has several chapels dedicated to: the Sorrows or

Annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...

(1590) on the

Epistle An epistle (; ) is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The ...

side, the Good Success or

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...

(1670), the

Third Order The term third order signifies, in general, lay members of Christian religious orders, who do not necessarily live in a religious community such as a monastery or a nunnery, and yet can claim to wear the religious habit and participate in the goo ...

, the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not def ...

and Mercy (1677), St. Anthony, St. Elizabeth or the Visitation. At the entrance to the church, on the Epistle side, there is a mural, from around 1500, depicting the

Mass of St Gregory The Mass of Saint Gregory is a subject in Catholic art which first appears in the late Middle Ages and was still found in the Counter-Reformation. Pope Gregory I (–604) is shown saying Mass just as a vision of Christ as the ''Man of Sorrows'' ...

. On the outside, the main façade has a

pointed arch A pointed arch, ogival arch, or Gothic arch is an arch with a pointed crown meet at an angle at the top of the arch. Also known as a two-centred arch, its form is derived from the intersection of two circles. This architectural element was partic ...

and moulded

Archivolt An archivolt (or voussure) is an ornamental Molding (decorative), moulding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch. It is composed of bands of ornamental mouldings (or other architectural elements) surrounding an arched opening, ...

s.Aganzo, Carlos, 2010, Pontevedra. Ciudades con encanto, Madrid, El País-Aguilar, p. 44-50Riveiro Tobío, Elvira, 2008, Descubrir Pontevedra, Pontevedra, Edicións do Cumio, p. 19-21 The

Stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows in the church have a deeply

iconographic programme: in the main chapel, the themes of Christ and Mary are represented in the centre with the images of the

Ecce homo ''Ecce homo'' (, , ; "behold the man") are the Latin words used by Pontius Pilate in the Vulgate translation of the Gospel of John, when he presents a scourged Jesus, bound and crowned with thorns, to a hostile crowd shortly before his crucif ...

and

our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows (), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are Titles of Mary, names by which Mary, mother of Jesus, is referr ...

. To their right are St.

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chinese Elm ''Ulmus parvifolia'' Christianity * Matthew the Apostle, one of ...

, St. John,

St. Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the early Christian Church. He appears repe ...

and St. Francis, and to the left

St. Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. Anthony was born and raised by a wealthy ...

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

St. Mark Mark the Evangelist ( Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Mârkos''), also known as John Mark ( Koinē Greek: Ἰωάννης Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Iōánnēs Mârkos;'' Aramaic'': ܝܘܚܢܢ, romanized: Yōḥannān'') or Saint Mark ...

and

St. Luke Luke the Evangelist was one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical gospels. The Early Church Fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Prominent figu ...

. Thus, the central position of Jesus and Mary is completed and highlighted on each side by two saints of the Franciscan Order,

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

and

Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, Order of Friars Minor, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. ...

, then by the apostles,

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

and

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

, and at the ends, on each side, two by two, by the

four Evangelists In Christian tradition, the Four Evangelists are Matthew the Apostle, Matthew, Mark the Evangelist, Mark, Luke the Evangelist, Luke, and John the Evangelist, John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four canonical Gospel accounts ...

The convent

The convent was rebuilt in the 18th century in the Baroque style. The construction was completed in 1800. When the walls of Pontevedra were demolished, the ''St. Dominic's Gate'' or ''City Gate'' was incorporated into its façade, at the main entrance. It is a sober building of large dimensions with three floors and a stone plinth. The lintelled doors and windows are plain. Above the central window of the balcony on the façade, above a small pediment, there is a Pontevedra stone coat of arms. The convent has a rectangular plan with a cloister on the south-east side and two courtyards of different sizes on the north-west side. The exterior has many elongated, symmetrical windows, with balconies on the main façade and a large balcony above the entrance door. Access to the church is through a door in the left wing of the transept. The building is 100 metres long, 30 metres wide and 24 metres high. The

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

has a square floor plan and a central

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 ...

. It is much more sober than the Gothic cloister it replaced in the 18th century, but it has some plaque decoration. On the left side of the conventual church are the doors that connect the church with the cloister and which communicates with the Franciscan conventual quarters. The interior of the Baroque convent was designed with three noble rooms dedicated to the dining room, the prayer area and the monks' meeting space.

Culture

The convent is currently occupied by four Franciscan friars. The convent is home to the community kitchen St. Francis, which feeds a number of needy people from Monday to Saturday. The church was chosen centuries ago as a burial place by some of the main noble families of Pontevedra, such as the Sarmiento and Mariño de Lobeira families.Aganzo, Carlos, 2010, Pontevedra. Ciudades con encanto, Madrid, El País-Aguilar, p. 44-50

Gallery

File:Pontevedra 72-07a, antiga Delegación de Facenda.jpg, Convent main façade File:Iglesia de San Francisco - Nave Central (Pontevedra).jpg, Central nave of the church File:Convento de San Francisco Pontevedra 2.jpg, Convent File:Igrexa de Pontevedra Galicia.jpg, Church File:Pontevedra 04.jpg, Apse of the church File:Pontevedra San Francisco ánimas.jpg, Souls in

Purgatory In Christianity, Purgatory (, borrowed into English language, English via Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman and Old French) is a passing Intermediate state (Christianity), intermediate state after physical death for purifying or purging a soul ...

File:Pontevedra - panoramio (13).jpg, Rear of the convent File:Iglesia de San Francisco - Vidrieras Altar Mayor (Pontevedra).jpg, Stained glass windows of the high altar

History

Description

The church of St. Francis

The convent

Culture

Gallery

References

See also

Bibliography

Related articles

External links