[2] The Monastery of San Francisco was one of the works of Nicolás de Ovando, which began its construction when the Franciscan fathers arrived in 1508 and was completed in 1560.

In 1586 it was looted by the English pirate Francis Drake, and then its repair began again, which was completed in 1664, but according to historians, in 1673 and 1751, two earthquakes occurred, which caused damage to the architecture of the San Francisco Monastery.

During the Siege of Santo Domingo in 1809, after the defeat at the Battle of Palo Hincado, the French placed artillery on the roof of the main church.

During the passage of the San Zenón cyclone in 1930, a large part of the building was destroyed and in 1940 the Padre Billini leprosy hospital and asylum were installed there.

Through its tub, the water is distributed in all the pipes to the inhabitants of the Ciudad Colonial, it was even the first aqueduct in the city.