San Francisco el Grande

5 photos · 2020

5 photographs tagged San Francisco el Grande, 2020.

Stone ruins of the San Francisco el Grande colonial church and convent in Antigua, Guatemala, with Agua Volcano visible in the distance. — San Francisco el Grande began as a Franciscan church and convent built in Antigua in 1579. Earthquakes, most severely the 1773 Santa Marta tremors, left much of the original structure in ruins, and the complex stood largely abandoned until restoration efforts took hold in the 20th century. A newer sanctuary adjoining the ruins now holds the tomb of Hermano Pedro de San José Betancur, canonized in 2002 as Guatemala's first saint, drawing pilgrims from across Central America. Volcán de Agua, a 3,760-meter stratovolcano southeast of the city, has long served as a landmark for travelers approaching Antigua.

Roofless stone walls and cross at the San Francisco Convent ruins in Antigua Guatemala with volcanoes in the background. — The San Francisco Convent in Antigua Guatemala was founded by Franciscan friars in 1579 and grew into one of the largest religious complexes in colonial Central America, with a church, cloisters, a school, and an infirmary. Earthquakes repeatedly damaged the structure, most severely in 1773, when the destruction led Spanish authorities to relocate Guatemala's capital to what is now Guatemala City. Much of the convent was never rebuilt, leaving the roofless walls and archways that remain part of a protected site within Antigua's UNESCO World Heritage zone. The adjoining church, rebuilt in the 20th century, holds the tomb of Hermano Pedro de San José Betancourt, a Franciscan friar canonized in 2002 and venerated throughout Guatemala. Volcán de Fuego and Volcán Acatenango rise beyond the ruins, part of the volcanic chain that borders the Panchoy Valley where Antigua sits.

Terracotta clay tile roofs with a white cupola overlook the colonial city of Antigua Guatemala, with forested volcanic hills in the background. — Antigua Guatemala sits in the Panchoy Valley, ringed by the volcanoes Agua, Fuego and Acatenango, whose forested slopes form the backdrop to the city's historic center. Clay tile roofing has been required across Antigua since UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1979, a building code meant to preserve the colonial-era character the city held as capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala. Nearby, the Iglesia de San Francisco el Grande, founded by Franciscan friars in 1579, has been rebuilt multiple times after earthquakes, including the 1773 Santa Marta quake that prompted colonial authorities to relocate the capital to present-day Guatemala City. Hermano Pedro de San José Betancourt, a Franciscan missionary canonized in 2002, is entombed inside the church, which continues to draw pilgrims today.

Vaulted stone and brick chambers with arched ceilings in the ruins of San Francisco el Grande Convent, Antigua Guatemala. — San Francisco el Grande was founded by Franciscan friars in the 16th century and grew into one of the largest religious complexes in colonial Antigua Guatemala. The 1773 Santa Marta earthquake badly damaged the convent along with much of the city, and the complex was never fully rebuilt. The surviving chambers, with their thick masonry arches, formed part of the friars' living and working quarters, constructed to support the weight of upper floors that no longer stand. The adjoining church was later restored and today holds the tomb of Hermano Pedro de San José Betancur, a Franciscan lay brother canonized in 2002 as Guatemala's first saint.

Vaulted stone corridor in the San Francisco el Grande convent ruins in Antigua Guatemala, a 16th-century Franciscan complex damaged by earthquakes. — San Francisco el Grande was founded by Franciscan friars in 1579 as one of colonial Antigua's largest church and convent complexes. The 1773 Santa Marta earthquake collapsed much of the convent, contributing to the Spanish crown's decision to relocate the capital to present-day Guatemala City. Hermano Pedro de Betancourt, later canonized as Guatemala's first saint, ran a hospital and hospice from this site before his death in 1667. The barrel-vaulted corridors that remain were once service passages and storage rooms connecting the convent's cloisters, left roofless and exposed after the colonial-era collapse.

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