The beautiful cloister of San Francisco, a jewel of Galician Gothic, testifies to the existence of an ancient convent in the upper part of Ourense, on the slope of Montealegre. It was founded in the 14th century, after the fire that destroyed the first Franciscan convent in the city, in the current Plaza del Corregidor. The order remained here until the 19th century.
In 1843, the old convent was transformed into an infantry barracks, which remained active until 1984. The change of use triggered numerous renovations. The most significant was, in 1928, the relocation of the church’s head and facade to the Parque de San Lázaro, where it remains to this day. The cloister, open to visitors, was thus left orphaned.
Declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1923, the Cloister of San Francisco has survived its eventful history, preserving almost intact the beauty of its 63 arches, all decorated with vegetal, animal (real and fantastic), and human motifs sculpted in stone. Although it is considered a clear example of Galician Gothic, the Romanesque influence is very present. .