Inside The Convent

Friday, October 1, 2021 - 09:29

by MEGAN STRINGER
The Convent has been a prominent historical building in Gibraltar since the 16th Century. The building has been the official residence of the Governor of Gibraltar since 1728.
It was originally a convent for Franciscan friars, and was built in 1531, with major renovations taking place during the 18th and 19th centuries, however what you might not know is that Franciscan Friars actually arrived in Gibraltar many years prior in 1480, and occupied the land by building wooden huts and planting a garden. 


In present times, the building is owned by the Gibraltar Government, who are responsible for external repairs, whereas the FCO look after internal repairs.
The Friars first arrived on the Rock during the reign of Charles 1 of Spain. The area that they were granted a plot of land in was known at the time as ‘La Turba’, where the poorer individuals of Gibraltar lived.
farmland
In 1480, the Friars built huts and houses and used the area as a farmland. Fifty years later in 1528, they received money from a benefactor in Madrid which allowed them to build a stone structure (the Cloister) and The Kings Chapel, which was completed around 1560.
The car park of the Convent, in particular the present day garage was known as the “back end of the Church”. Here is where peasants could come for food and shelter. They knew by looking at how many knots the friars had on the cords around their robes what they could get out of them, in this case, three knots meant food and shelter were available if needed.
The three knots are duplicated in the pillars at the original rear wall of The Kings Chapel, this is what is seen inside the garage.

MORE IN PANORAMA PRINT EDITION

01-10-21 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR