Garden Passage Through the Ruins of San Francisco el Grande

San Francisco el Grande, founded by Franciscan friars in the 16th century, once ranked among the largest religious complexes in colonial Antigua. Earthquakes in 1773 left much of the church and adjoining cloister in ruins, prompting the capital to relocate to present-day Guatemala City. The brick and masonry walls that remain standing today were never fully restored, leaving exposed arches and crumbling vaults alongside the original convent gardens. Franciscan friar Hermano Pedro de Betancourt, later canonized as Guatemala's first saint, lived and worked at this site, and his tomb draws pilgrims to the adjacent working church.