Plaza de San Francisco (San Francisco Square)
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Called
San Francisco because of the convent next to it, this square was conceived
in 1628, with the objective of supplying water to the ships trading with
the metropolis. For many years it also served to stockpile the goods arriving
from the harbor. Chronicles of the time say that the square had a busy
commercial life. The people, in humble carts or afoot, sold and bought
a variety of goods. It’s important to know that through this place
the Spanish immigrants arrived to Cuba. Among the houses built around
the plaza, as was already usual, the house of the Arostegui family, residence
of the Captain Generals until the completion of the City Hall at the end
of the 18th century, was erected.
During
a long period of the Spanish dominion, the San Francisco Fairs took place
at the square, beginning on October 3. It is said that around the year
1600 the first fountain of the city could be seen at the plaza. In 1836
it was replaced by a beautiful fountain made of white Carrara marble by
Giuseppe Gaggini, under the good auspices of the Villanueva Count. This
fountain is called Fuente de los Leones (Lions Fountain). At that time
it was protected by an iron fence, as seen in some pictures of 1835. Later
on, because it was feared that it could be damaged, it was relocated to
the Paseo de Isabel II, nowadays Paseo de José Martí (or
Paseo del Prado, as it was also called). Finally, the fountain was returned
to its original location where it still remains.
Adress: Oficios y Amargura
