Church of San Buenaventura, Casablanca
Saint Bonaventure was born Giovanni di Fidanza in Bagnoregio, Italy in 1217. When desperately ill as a boy, he was healed by Francis of Assisi, who declared him to have "Buona Fortuna (Good Luck)." The name stuck. He forever became Bonaventure. In Tangier Street in the Medina of Casablanca in 1890, Spanish Franciscans founded the Church of San Buenaventura.
The church was built on land granted to King Alfonso XII of Spain by Sultan Hassan I of Morocco. San Buenaventura thus became the seat of the Spanish church in Casablanca. In 2010 King Mohammed VI announced a vast project of urban renewal for Casablanca, focusing especially of the rehabilitation of the old city.
Among the monumental buildings to be renovated was the Church of San Buenaventura. The church had ceased to operate as such in in 1968. The Spanish Embassy ceded the property to the City of Casablanca and the church began hosting needy families. By 2016 the church had been changed into a cultural center.
Today the church operates as a youth house, a community sports center, an artisanal ensemble and cultural resource center of the old city.
The church was built on land granted to King Alfonso XII of Spain by Sultan Hassan I of Morocco. San Buenaventura thus became the seat of the Spanish church in Casablanca. In 2010 King Mohammed VI announced a vast project of urban renewal for Casablanca, focusing especially of the rehabilitation of the old city.
Among the monumental buildings to be renovated was the Church of San Buenaventura. The church had ceased to operate as such in in 1968. The Spanish Embassy ceded the property to the City of Casablanca and the church began hosting needy families. By 2016 the church had been changed into a cultural center.
Today the church operates as a youth house, a community sports center, an artisanal ensemble and cultural resource center of the old city.
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Church of San Buenaventura on Map
Sight Name: Church of San Buenaventura
Sight Location: Casablanca, Morocco (See walking tours in Casablanca)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Casablanca, Morocco (See walking tours in Casablanca)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Casablanca, Morocco
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Casablanca Old Town Walking Tour
Although the Old Town (Medina) of Casablanca is not as ancient as that of the imperial cities like Fez or Marrakech, it is well worth seeing all the same. The historic heart of the city, rather modest in size 鈥� measuring some 50 hectares, is made up of three parts: the Medina proper; the Jewish quarter, or Mellah, with the Ettedgui Synagogue in it; and the popular quarter called Tnaker.
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
Casablanca Introduction Walking Tour
Leo Africanus, an Andalusi diplomat and travel writer of the 16th century, declared the Moroccan city of Casablanca to be the site of the ancient Berber city of Anfa, founded in 744 AD. Anfa was a city of the Berber kingdom of Barghawata. The independence of the kingdom ended in 1068 when it was conquered by the Arab Almoravids.
The Almoravid dynasty in turn was displaced by the Berber Merinids... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
The Almoravid dynasty in turn was displaced by the Berber Merinids... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
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