Convent of San Francisco, Santiago de Compostela

The Convent of San Francisco, also known as San Francisco del Valle de Dios, is a historic Franciscan monastery. Founded in the early 13th century, the convent holds great historical and cultural significance and was designated as a Historic-Artistic Monument on August 16, 1896.

In 2015, the Camino de Santiago in Spain, specifically the French Camino and Caminos del Norte de España, was extended and recognized by UNESCO.

According to tradition, the origins of the Convent of San Francisco trace back to Saint Francis of Assisi himself. During his pilgrimage to Compostela in 1214, he was welcomed by a family from Compostela, including a man named Cotolai, who worked as a charcoal burner. Saint Francis entrusted Cotolai with the task of building a monastery, despite the lack of resources. However, Saint Francis revealed a hidden treasure near the hermitage of San Paio do Monte (San Payo del Monte) that would provide the necessary means for the construction. The Val de Deus (Valley of God), where the monastery was built, was originally owned by the Benedictine monastery of San Martiño Pinario, which exchanged it for an annual basket of fish, a tradition that continued until the late 18th century.

The original convent experienced a collapse in the early 18th century, and today, only five pointed arches remain in the main cloister, along with the tomb of Cotolai. These arches once adorned the Chapter House, which hosted the Courts of Santiago presided over by Carlos V in 1520. The reconstruction of the convent commenced in 1742 and involved altering the orientation of the church.