The earliest known reference to this Franciscan house dates back to 1289, when the land for its construction was acquired. The foundation was likely established shortly thereafter. The convent was built outside the urban center of the time, to the north of it. It is mentioned that the site had previously been occupied by the Knights Templar.
This foundation is linked to the House of Andrade, which acted as its patron, and specifically to Fernán Pérez de Andrade O Boo († 1397), who was buried in a prominent location within the church. However, his tomb was later moved to the nave. His sepulchre bears the date 1387, which may correspond to the completion of the church’s construction. The convent is first documented as such in 1323, when Mayor Rodríguez made a donation to it. Between the 14th and 16th centuries, it experienced a period of prosperity, during which several chapels were built where local noble families erected their funerary monuments.
In 1524, the convent hosted a Provincial Chapter of the Franciscan Order. The site suffered damage from fires that affected Betanzos in 1565 and 1569. In 1567, the house was reformed, adopting the Observant regime, as was becoming common in Franciscan convents. In the 18th century, much of the convent was rebuilt, as it had been damaged by the fires. The misfortunes of the 19th century began with the Peninsular War, during which its library and archives, along with other movable property, were lost. Although the convent recovered temporarily, it was definitively suppressed in 1835.
Over time, the site deteriorated, although a school was established there. In the last quarter of the 19th century, the Gothic cloister and much of the convent’s facilities were demolished for urban development purposes. The stones from the demolition were repurposed as building material. Meanwhile, in 1914, a new Franciscan community arrived, and in 1919, what remained of the convent was declared a historic monument. In 1936, following the community’s departure, the church was set on fire, resulting in the loss of its liturgical furnishings and leaving it in ruins, along with damage to the convent. Later, the site was restored, and a new conventual building was constructed, which was occupied until 1992.
The preserved church may be the second one built on the site, dating between the mid-14th century and 1387, succeeding the foundational church from the late 13th century. This second church features a single nave with a polygonal apse and a transept. Subsequently, six funerary chapels were added: two next to the main chapel, opening onto the transept (14th century); two more at the ends of the transept (15th century); and the final two alongside the first section of the nave (16th century). Some sculptural elements from the now-lost cloister have been preserved.
Tomb of Fernán Pérez de Andrade O Boo († 1397)
Tomb of Fernán Pérez de Andrade O Boo († 1397)
Tomb of Fernán Pérez de Andrade O Boo († 1397)
Tomb of Juan López de Vilousaz (15th century)
Tomb of García Pérez de Vilousaz (15th century)
Tomb of Pedro Fernández de Párega (15th century)
Tomb of a knight (15th century)
Sepulcro de Fernán Pérez de Andrade en Betanzos
España artística y monumental (1850)
Photo from Catálogo Monumental de La Coruña (1912)
- COLÓN ALONSO, Marta (2012). Transformaciones históricas en el convento de San Francisco de Betanzos, siglos XIV al XX. Tesi doctoral. Universidade da Coruña
- FRAGA SAMPEDRO, María Dolores (1995). San Francisco de Betanzos: nuevas aportaciones a su programa iconográfico. Anuario Brigantino, núm. 18
- GARCÍA ORO, José; i altres (1994). San Francisco de Betanzos ante la Reforma (1567). Anuario Brigantino, núm. 17
- LEZA TELLO, Prudencio (2010). Apuntes para la Historia del convento y comunidad de San Francisco de Betanzos. Anuario Brigantino, núm. 33
- PÉREZ VILLAAMIL, Genaro (1850). España artística y monumental. Vistas y monumentos de España. Vol. 3. París: A. Hauser
- TARRÍO, Santiago B. (2012). La arquitectura de las órdenes mendicantes en Galicia, análisis gráfico de los templos franciscanos. Tesi. Universidade da Coruña
The Church of San Francisco is located in the city center, on the street bearing the same name