Convento de San Francisco do Val de Deus

The Convento de San Francisco do Val de Deus is anchored by a massive granite facade that bridges Baroque and Neoclassical styles, topped by a bell tower at each end. While the site is a prominent feature of the historic center of Santiago de Compostela, its origins are tied to a local tradition involving a charcoal burner named Cotolay. Legend holds that when Saint Francis of Assisi visited the city in twelve fourteen, he instructed Cotolay to build a monastery in what was then known as the Valley of Hell.