Church of San Francisco

The Church of San Francisco is located in the square with the same name. It was built in the 18th century, in 1752, in the old Fishermen's neighbourhood of the town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda and it is a fine example of late Andalusian Baroque.

The order of San Francisco has been in Sanlúcar since the mid-15th century, specifically since 1443, and was responsible for evangelisation first in the Canary Islands and then in America, using Sanlúcar as a lodging place and a launching pad for this task. This old convent (that does not correspond to the current complex) was known as "San Francisco el Viejo", and all that remains is the Chapel of San Diego de Alcalá located in the neighbourhood of the same name.

This church (the new one) was built by Juan Rodríguez Portillo, his sons and the master builder Fray Pedro Biceta. The temple has a single nave covered with a barrel vault and transept over a tambour. The main façade is of dressed stone and was designed as a grandiose altarpiece within a large arched recess.

At the time of the French invasion the building was used as a penitentiary; later, as a result of the Confiscation of Mendizábal, the Franciscans had to abandon it, leaving the convent building empty. Finally Francisco Rodríguez de Paula, who had created a charitable teaching foundation, bought the convent for the Christian training and educational use for the children of Sanlúcar, which would lead in 1967 to the creation of the School of the Brothers of the Christian Schools of La Salle de Sanlúcar de Barrameda.