Bermeo. The Convent of San Francisco de Bermeo was founded in 1357 by agreement the Lords of Biscay, D. Tello and D.ª. Juana de Lara and their relative, the Provincial of the Franciscans of Castile, Fray Juan Díaz de Haro. The church and adjacent cloister were rescued from the State and from their usufructuaries by the ecclesiastical and municipal councils of Bermeo by means of the R. O. of 4th September 1859. The rescue was carried out by Friar Mariano de Estarta, the last surviving provincial commissary of the exclaustration. He, with some former friars, formed the new basic and fundamental community of the first Official College of Franciscan Missionaries for Cuba and the Antilles and also the Franciscan-Cantabrian restoration, which took place on the 4th October 1859. Faced with the increase in new personnel, Estarta was obliged to send them to branch houses, among them the old convent of Zarauz and the Benedictine monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla, all in August 1866 and October of the following year. The Spanish revolution of the following year closed the three houses and the Colegio de Misioneros para Cuba. The provincial restoration was stabilised by means of apostolic residences that were opened in Bermeo and Zarauz at the service of the respective conventual church and in various vicariate houses, under the direction of exclaustrated priests who completed the religious and cultural formation until ordaining a few young novices and professed, who were to be the future leaders. The Bermeo residence survived until 1882 and was closed by order of the commissioner Fr. Antúñano, annoyed by the Town Council's delay in fulfilling its commitment to hand over the entire former convent to him. In July 1895 it was reopened by agreement of the province, governed by Fr. Matías de Dañobeitia. The new convent was inaugurated in 1897 after the church, which was in a dilapidated state, was restored, thanks to the enthusiasm of the neighbourhood on hearing the news of the return of the friars. A Humanities course was inaugurated which functioned until 1912, when it was transferred to Aránzazu for pedagogical reasons. Since the provincial chapter of 1896, this convent has been a guardianship and continued to be one of the most active and thriving of the Franciscan province. In 1933 it had 10 fathers and 7 laymen. Ref. Fray Juan Ruiz de Larrínaga.