Plaza de San Francisco de Asís

Plaza de San Francisco de Asís (Saint Francis of Assisi Square) is a public square in the district of Old Havana, Havana, Cuba. Founded on 2 June 1628, it is one of the oldest squares in Havana.[1] It is named after the nearby Convento de San Francisco de Asís, a Franciscan convent built between 1575 and 1591. The iconic Fuente de los Leones, built by Italian sculptor Giuseppe Gaggini, was installed in 1836.

Fuente de los Leones.

In 1761, José Martín Félix de Arrate, Mayor of Havana, considered the Plaza to be the best place in the city.[2] Both the city hall (casas capitulares), police house, jailhouse and customs office faced the Plaza at the time.[2][1]

References

1. Garcia, Guadalupe (2016). Beyond the Walled City: Colonial Exclusion in Havana. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. p. 35. ISBN 9780520286047.
2. Roig de Leuchsenring, Emilio (1963). La Habana. Apuntes históricos Tomo I (in Spanish). Havana, Cuba: Editora del Consejo Nacional de Cultura. p. 102.