The church of the Capuchins is a temple located in the street of the Bakers of the city of A Coruña. It was part of the old Capuchin convent, which was rehabilitated to house the Museum of Fine Arts.
Historia
The presence of the Capuchins in A Coruña dates back to 1683. They settled in a house donated by Antonia de Prego next to the chapel of Our Lady of Wonders. This chapel was demolished to build the new convent building, begun in 1688 according to plans by Domingo de Andrade, who was in office until 1707. The work continued under the patronage of Archbishop Antonio de Monroy with the architect Fernando de Casas Novoa, who designed, among others parts of the convent, the facade (1715)
The first fixed mass in Galician, celebrated by the priest Manuel Espiña, has been celebrated in the church since 1966.
The convent was in use until 1982 and in 1995 the new headquarters of the Museum of Fine Arts were inaugurated. After several renovations, it was reopened in 2013.
Despite having the maximum municipal protection, the chaplain's house was demolished according to the project of the architect Andrés Fernández-Albalat Lois on October 13, 2004 due to the construction of the Parrot car park and was not rebuilt until 2009. The process was investigated for a crime against property, but the case did not prosper.
Description
The church has a Latin cross plan with a single nave. A lobby opens at the entrance. The façade, which is accessed by a semicircular staircase, has a single body and four Tuscan pilasters. At the top of the façade is the coat of arms of the Franciscans.
On the door of the facade and in the altarpiece there are two images of the Virgin of the Wonders. The altarpiece was restored to recover the right hand that had been removed in the 1980s, when the temple was abandoned.
To one side of the church is preserved the highest quality part of the convent, a stonework canvas integrated into the museum. On the other side is the 18th-century chaplain's house, rebuilt in 2009.
In front of the church is a stone fountain. The pinnacles, which recovered the grate in 2015, and the grove are also cataloged.
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