Ex-convent of San Francisco

Located on the outskirts of the town, next to the road leading to Aranda de Duero, this convent was founded in 1214 by one of the most notable figures of the Middle Ages: St. Francis of Assisi. History records that Don Fernando de Antequera, Lord of Ayllón, Queen Catalina de Lancáster and the then infant King Juan II, together with Fray Vicente Ferrer, met here. It is thought that thanks to these meetings the coronation of Fernando as King of Aragon was forged after the compromise of Caspe in 1412. The saint Teresa de Jesús, who came from Soria, where she had just founded the convent of the Holy Trinity, also spent the night in its famous inn in 1581. She was accompanied, of course, by her inseparable companion Sister Ana de San Bartolomé. It underwent a major renovation in 1601 due to a spectacular fire that nearly destroyed the complex. At the beginning of the 19th century, the friars ended up dispersing due to the French invasion of the Peninsula and the various visits of their troops. The State would end up taking charge of this complex in 1845, which, due to the disentailment, would remove any element of value from it, leaving it in a ruinous state by the end of that century. It is worth mentioning that two altarpieces were rescued and found a place in the parish churches of Santa María de Riaza and Santa María la Mayor de Ayllón. During the last century the property changed hands until the current owners, who renovated the entire former convent to create a venue for weddings and events.