San Francisco Church, Betanzos, Spain

San Francisco Church was rebuilt in the 14th century on an earlier 13th-century structure. It has a floor plan in the shape of a Latin cross, a single nave, chapels in the apse and a gabled roof. The outside is arranged in staggered heights, with three windows at the top. The main doorway is a pointed arch, and the archivolts are decorated with plant and geometric motifs. The tympanum has a representation of the Adoration of the Kings and Saint Francis receiving the stigmata on Mount Alvernia. At the east end of the church is the sarcophagus of Fernán Pérez de Andrade.

References:

spain.info

Religious sites in Spain

User Reviews

Maria Luisa (7 months ago)
Because access is very controlled by the virus

Diego Orive Martín (7 months ago)
A must for every art lover

Juanjo Málaga (8 months ago)
A national monument

Isabel Castro Vazquez (2 years ago)
Beautiful historical building. Mystical experience

Francisco Gomez (3 years ago)
This is an extraordinary old church. Pay the 2 Euros fee to contribute to the charity in charge of the restoration of the church

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright nikonaft

Historic Site of the week

Cesis Castle

German crusaders known as the Livonian Brothers of the Sword began construction of the Cēsis castle (Wenden) near the hill fort in 1209. When the castle was enlarged and fortified, it served as the residence for the Order's Master from 1237 till 1561, with periodic interruptions. Its ruins are some of the most majestic castle ruins in the Baltic states. Once the most important castle of the Livonian Order, it was the official residence for the masters of the order.

In 1577, during the Livonian War, the garrison destroyed the castle to prevent it from falling into the control of Ivan the Terrible, who was decisively defeated in the Battle of Wenden (1578).

In 1598 it was incorporated into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Wenden Voivodship was created here. In 1620 Wenden was conquered by Sweden. It was rebuilt afterwards, but was destroyed again in 1703 during the Great Northern War by the Russian army and left in a ruined state. Already from the end of the 16th century, the premises of the Order's castle were adjusted to the requirements of the Cēsis Castle estate. When in 1777 the Cēsis Castle estate was obtained by Count Carl Sievers, he had his new residence house built on the site of the eastern block of the castle, joining its end wall with the fortification tower.

Since 1949, the Cēsis History Museum has been located in this New Castle of the Cēsis Castle estate. The front yard of the New Castle is enclosed by a granary and a stable-coach house, which now houses the Exhibition Hall of the Museum. Beside the granary there is the oldest brewery in Latvia, Cēsu alus darītava, which was built in 1878 during the later Count Sievers' time, but its origins date back to the period of the Livonian Order. Further on, the Cēsis Castle park is situated, which was laid out in 1812. The park has the romantic characteristic of that time, with its winding footpaths, exotic plants, and the waters of the pond reflecting the castle's ruins. Nowadays also one of the towers is open for tourists.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

San Francisco Church

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

History of Guernsey & Jersey

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania

Cultural Landscape of Sintra, Portugal

Historic Site of the week

Cesis Castle

Looks like you are a history fan!