Ruins of the Monastery of San Francisco

The Monastery of San Francisco, was one of the wonderful works of Nicolás de Ovando, which began its construction when the arrival of the Franciscan fathers to Santo Domingo began in 1508 and was the first monastery in the New World. According to historians, the remains of Alonso de Ojeda (Spanish explorer who gave the name to Venezuela) were found buried at the main entrance.
In its surroundings there are still the ruins of the chapel of María de Toledo, first vicereine of the Indies, grandniece of the Catholic Monarchs, and the woman of highest nobility who lived in America in the sixteenth century who was also a defender of the freedoms of the Indians in the West Indies. In this area you can see the pipes of the first aqueduct in the city.
In the early nineteenth century its vaults collapsed after being abandoned for a while. The complex was composed of the chapel of the Tertiary Order, the convent and the church, where you can still distinguish the floors of the different structures and some original vaults.

Marlyn Matos