Date

Circa 1910

It forms part of the convent of Jesús y María of the Franciscan order. The convent was founded in the 13th century. In 1776 Charles III appointed Sabbatini to complete the basilica of S Francisco el Grande, which had been rebuilt to the designs of Antonio Plò (fl 1770) and Frey Francisco Cabezas (1709-1773). It has a centralized plan, with a great dome and radiating chapels. The unusual façade is in the form of a convex curve of three large bays, with two superimposed orders and flanking towers; the overall form is Baroque but with Neo-classical restraint in the detailing. The church contains paintings by Zurbarán and Francisco Goya. The temple once functioned as the National pantheon, and enshrined the remains of famous artists and politicians.