Where to
Red Cross
Current headquarters of the Puertollano Red Cross, built on the remains of the Franciscan convent of San Pedro de Alcántara.
In 1622, the Franciscan convent of San Pedro de Alcántara was built on what is today this block. It was a convent which, although austere, had all the necessary facilities: a two-storey cloister, refectory, church, chapter house, classrooms, garden and cemetery,
chapter house, classrooms, vegetable garden and cemetery.
It was created thanks to a donation from a deceased Indian.
The Franciscans abandoned the convent during the War of Independence with the French. From then on it was used as a field hospital. After the war, the monks returned but only stayed there until 1835 when they abandoned the convent
the convent for good, due to the confiscations. The convent gradually deteriorated, except for the church, which was used as a theatre by the company La Unión. Subsequently, part of the convent's land was bought by the Porras brothers to build the Gran Gran
Porras brothers to build the Gran Teatro which was inaugurated in 1920.
On the other hand, Ricardo Cabañero, a military man and one of the most important people of the time, had founded the Red Cross in Puertollano and had its headquarters at his home in Calle Calzada. For years he raised money with which he bought part of the convent where
which he used to buy part of the convent where the current Red Cross headquarters were to be built.
The first hospital in Puertollano, which even had an operating theatre, was built here.
