Bayonne. The Franciscans, who became Friars Minor of the Observance of Saint Francis under François I, were already established in Bayonne in 1242, as we find at this date an act by which Raymond de Douzac and the Chapter gave the Franciscans the rights to a chapel or oratory on the banks of the Nive. Veillet says of this donation: "In 1242, in agreement with the Chapter, Bishop Raymond Donzac granted a charter to the Franciscans, who were already living in Bayonne, but we do not know who the founder was. This act states that the bishop and the Chapter had agreed and ceded to them the right they had over the chapel and oratory - the walls of which still exist at the edge of the Nive - where they could freely exercise their priestly functions, the bishop and the Chapter reserving "present and future" all the oblations that could be made outside the enclosure, the wax and similar things that could be offered for the use and adornment of the chapel, as is done ordinarily on Good Friday. These Franciscans first became very rich and very numerous because of the large donations of land and fiefs that were made to them. But King Francis I having obtained from Pope Leo X the power to reform all these so-called conventual possessors of goods, they were deprived of them, and the observants settled in France, and since the year 1521, there have only been 22 or 23 in Bayonne". We do not know much about the Franciscan convent, whose acts have not been preserved in the archives of the district. In the 18th century, the convent still occupied a very large area of land. The church door was opposite the Nive, and the cloister was next to it. A vast garden extended behind it, along the wall of the present-day arsenal. However, it seems to be proven that part of the convent became useless, as they rented several parts of this building to Mr. Lalanne who authorised the accommodation of part of the Swiss regiment of Coarten. Three large storerooms and a gallery were abandoned and a partition with a door was built to allow access "to the organ and to Saint-Come's room". At the time of the Revolution, there were five storerooms occupied by the military service, as well as the gallery and twelve rooms that served as barracks. The sacristy had six chalices with their patens, two ostensories with their shuttles, two cruets, four candlesticks, six albs, and the library had 900 volumes, but not a single manuscript. There were seven priests, seven laymen and a "Donat" who played the organ. The Franciscan buildings were included in the decree of 1808, granted by Napoleon in favour of the city. All the convent grounds were occupied by the artillery arsenal. Edouard Duceré.