The original 18th century construction of the Convent of San Francisco de Paula underwent modifications in the following centuries, with the Disentailment of Mendizábal and the Spanish Civil War. Finally, in 1949, it was acquired by the Pacheco family to use the Convent for the manufacture of oven blades. These events led to the loss of one storey in height, the removal of the towers on the façade of the church and the belfry of the chapel, which became a single body to house a bell.
It also affected the interior of the building, of which the square staircase covered with a polygonal dome, the three-storey cloister with two sundials on two sides and at different heights, some original doors with the Charitas motto, inscriptions alluding to the life of the Order’s founding saint, San Francisco de Paula, located on the ground floor and some parts of the floor have survived. These remains are a reminder of the presence of the Minim friars in this convent for more than two centuries.
In the hermitage, which is now closed, the images of San Francisco de Paula and the Virgen de la Salud were worshipped. In the Plaza del Convento, also known as the Plaza del Mercado, the traditional weekly market was held, which originated with the sale of horticultural products grown by the friars themselves in their vegetable garden. The square was also the setting for the festival of the “Lumbrerá de San Francisco” and the religious ceremonies in honour of the patron saint of Alcantarilla until 1967, when it was moved to the parish church of San Pedro Apóstol.
Next to the chapel, an archway gave access to the Huerto de los Frailes, which had an area of 99,264 m2, located in the Pago de la Cañada like the rest of the Convent on the outskirts of the town of Alcantarilla.
It is currently known as Plaza de San Francisco or Plaza del Convento.
