Plaza San Francisco

The San Francisco square, in Cadix

The San Francisco square is one of those corners of Cadix where the past and daily life mingle naturally, dominated by the church of San Francisco, the last vestige of an immense Franciscan convent. The Cadix audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this lively square, heir of a great monastery of the sixteenth century, where the famous fresquito blows, the sea breeze dear to the Gaditans.

The last vestige of the Franciscan convent

The pretty San Francisco square is one of those corners of Cadix where the past and daily life mingle naturally. In front of you stands the church of San Francisco, the last witness of an immense Franciscan convent founded here in the sixteenth century, to be discovered with respect. At the time, the whole district belonged to the monastery: the museum of Cadix rises on the former cloister, the Plaza de Mina was the orchard, and the esplanade where you stand served as the great entrance courtyard. By entering the church, with respect for the place of worship, you discover a building where elements of the sixteenth century and a baroque decoration of the eighteenth mingle, with its stuccoed vaults, its great rococo altarpiece and its tower of 1699 that still watches over the street. The square itself is composed of two spaces: a small intimate zone in front of the church and a wider part, formerly occupied by a market. Today, it is a much frequented place, animated by the cafés, the shops and this small sea breeze, the famous fresquito, that the Gaditans adore and that pleasantly refreshes the hot days. Between religious history and gentle living, the square offers a fine glimpse of the soul of Cadix, where you like to linger on a terrace. A lively square and a Franciscan memory, the San Francisco square is a fine stop of the discovery of Cadix.

What to see

Here you discover a pretty lively square of old Cadix, dominated by the church of San Francisco, the last vestige of an immense Franciscan convent of the sixteenth century on which the museum of Cadix and the Plaza de Mina depended; the church mingles elements of the sixteenth century and baroque decoration, with its tower of 1699, and the square lives to the rhythm of the cafés and the famous fresquito, the sea breeze. The San Francisco square is a corner of charm of Cadix. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The San Francisco square lies in the heart of the historic centre of Cadix, near the Plaza de Mina, reachable on foot. It is a public square freely accessible, lined with cafés and the church of San Francisco, that can be visited with respect according to the hours of the parish. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

What is the church of the San Francisco square in Cadix?

It is the church of San Francisco, the last vestige of an immense Franciscan convent founded in the sixteenth century, on which once depended the whole district, the current museum of Cadix and the Plaza de Mina; it mingles elements of the sixteenth century and a baroque decoration of the eighteenth, with its stuccoed vaults, its rococo altarpiece and its tower of 1699, and is discovered with respect.

Where is the San Francisco square in Cadix?

In the heart of the historic centre of Cadix, near the Plaza de Mina, in Spain.