Convento de San Francisco (Convent of San Francisco), Cadiz
The Convent of San Francisco, founded in 1566 by Franciscan friars led by Fray Juan Navarro, stands as a historic religious site with deep transatlantic ties. Once a sprawling complex supported by prominent local patrons, it played a central role in training and dispatching friars to the Americas, including the renowned missionary Fray Junípero Serra.
Even though much of the original convent was lost following the 19th-century confiscation, the church and Mannerist-style cloister remain intact.
The church, redesigned in the 18th century by architect José Francisco Badaraco, showcases a refined Baroque aesthetic, with plasterwork and vaulted ceilings that mask earlier structural elements.
Inside, visitors can admire the main rococo altarpiece by Gonzalo Pomar, dating to 1763, and the Crucified of Veracruz, believed by some scholars to have arrived from Naples in 1733. The surviving chapels, including one dedicated to the Virgin of Peace, offer a quiet glimpse into the devotional life of the city.
Even though much of the original convent was lost following the 19th-century confiscation, the church and Mannerist-style cloister remain intact.
The church, redesigned in the 18th century by architect José Francisco Badaraco, showcases a refined Baroque aesthetic, with plasterwork and vaulted ceilings that mask earlier structural elements.
Inside, visitors can admire the main rococo altarpiece by Gonzalo Pomar, dating to 1763, and the Crucified of Veracruz, believed by some scholars to have arrived from Naples in 1733. The surviving chapels, including one dedicated to the Virgin of Peace, offer a quiet glimpse into the devotional life of the city.
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Convento de San Francisco (Convent of San Francisco) on Map
Sight Name: Convento de San Francisco (Convent of San Francisco)
Sight Location: Cadiz, Spain (See walking tours in Cadiz)
Sight Type: Religious
Sight Location: Cadiz, Spain (See walking tours in Cadiz)
Sight Type: Religious
Walking Tours in Cadiz, Spain
Create Your Own Walk in Cadiz
Creating your own self-guided walk in Cadiz is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Cadiz's Old Fortifications Walking Tour
“Cádiz is a silver cup, surrounded by walls and kissed by the sea.” The saying isn’t just poetry-it’s urban planning. For over 3,000 years, this port city has been circling itself with stone, preparing for whoever might come sailing over the horizon. And given Cádiz’s enviable position and wealth, plenty of enemies did.
After Columbus launched voyages two and four from here,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.3 Km or 2.7 Miles
After Columbus launched voyages two and four from here,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.3 Km or 2.7 Miles
Cadiz's Plazas Walking Tour
Nicknamed “the silver cup” for the way its peninsula juts into the Atlantic, Cádiz sparkles as one of Spain’s oldest coastal gems. The Old Town is a maze of narrow streets, whitewashed façades, and balconies that seem to compete over who can grow the brightest gardens. Add in centuries of Moorish, Baroque, and Neoclassical influence, and you’ve got a city that wears its history in layers... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
Cadiz Introduction Walking Tour
Cádiz isn’t just old-it’s mythologically old. Some say Hercules himself founded the city after his tenth labor, fresh from slaying a three-headed monster and stealing a herd of red cattle. Others-less into mythology, more into maritime records-say it was the Phoenicians who rolled up in black ships around 1100 BC and named it Gadir, meaning “walled stronghold.” Either way, it’s been... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles