The foundation of the convent of San Francisco de Santiago dates back to the pilgrimage of Saint Francis of Assisi in 1214 to the tomb of the Apostle Santiago. At the request of San Francisco, Cotolay (a poor charcoal burner) founded the convent, thus fulfilling the Saint's wish. At the main entrance is the Cotolay mausoleum and in front of it, a large stone tombstone explains the origin of this foundation. The convent was built outside the city wall in the so-called "Hell's Valley", later changing to the name "Valley of God" with the arrival of the friars. Although the current building is from the 18th century, the original Gothic arches from the late 19th century are still preserved. XIII. The archaeological windows at the entrance to the convent display the remains of the original church from the 16th century. XIII. The convent of San Francisco de Santiago is the seat of the Franciscan Province of Santiago, which includes Galicia, Asturias, León, Zamora, Salamanca, Palencia and Valladolid, the "custodian" of Venezuela and the "delegation" of Tangier. The Franciscan friars continue to live in the convent, their home, carrying out different activities, both inside and outside of its walls, including evangelical, pastoral, social, educational and cultural activities, among them.
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1209: Foundation of the Franciscan Order 1214: Pilgrimage from San Francisco to Santiago de Compostela 1520: Celebration of the Cortes of Castile, in the chapter house of the convent of San Francisco (today, the Carlos V auditorium), presided over by Emperor Carlos V. 1613: Construction of the Cloister of the Fountain (called processional), after the demolition of the original Gothic style. 1679: Construction of the convent's main staircase. 1719: Construction of the “De Profundis” hall (restaurant). The friars gathered there before entering the refectory singing the "De Profundis" psalm. 1730: Construction of the Monumental Dining Hall (former convent refectory) 1787: Completion of the construction of the current church of San Francisco. 1798: Cotolay Mausoleum, founder of the first convent, constructed at the entrance of the convent. 1836: Exclaustration of Mendizábal. The convent of San Francisco was exclaustrated and expropriated. 1854: The García Pan brothers, two great benefactors of the Franciscan community, purchase the convent with its church to hand it over years later to the friars. 1862: Transfer of the convent of San Francisco de Santiago de Compostela to the College of Missionaries for the Holy Land and Morocco. There is an inscription commemorating this on the facade of the convent. 1912: Construction of the original atrium of the Glass Courtyard, with a wrought iron frame. Part of these works were carried out in the workshops of Gustave Eiffel. 1928: Monument to San Francisco. Work by Francisco Asorey, located in the Campillo de San Francisco (commemoration of the VII centenary of the death of San Francisco) 1970: Opening of Hogar San Francisco Hostel University Residence. 1984: “Hogar San Francisco” hostel. Combining their activity with the university residence. 1992: Closure of the university residence. The Hogar San Francisco Hostel continues its activity. 1993: The Terra Santa Museum opens its doors to the public. 2000: Extensive renovation of its facilities until 2005, adapting them to the quality standards of a 4-star hotel. 2005: San Francisco Hotel Monumento is inaugurated in October. "
Located in the upper part of the Cloister of the Fountain and accessed through the church of San Francisco. The museum opened its doors to the public in 1993. It offers visitors a journey through time from the Paleolithic era to the 20th century, showing the places where Jesus of Nazareth once lived. Archaeological vestiges of Franciscan excavations, bible-themed engravings in olive wood and mother-of-pearl, money, gold artefacts and ornaments from the three monotheistic religions present in Jerusalem (Christianity, Islam and Judaism), are part of this one-of-its kind exhibition in the world. The most emblematic piece of the Terra Santa Museum is the model of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher. Created by Fray Bartolomé de las Heras in 1950, It is a wonderful olive wood replica of the sacred building, which also shows its interior in detail.
In 1971, the Juan XXIII Hostel Cultural and Social Center was inaugurated, at the initiative of Friar José Antonio Peteiro Freire. Since then the shelter has taken in the city's homeless. In addition to offering them a bed to sleep in, other needs are also taken care of throughout the day with the help of volunteers. The Franciscan community has never stopped providing this great social contribution and its commitment to those most in need continues to be very present to this day."