 The Friary of La Rábida has been Franciscan property since the thirteenth century.It was founded in 1261; the evidence is a papal bull issued by Pope Benedict XIII in that year, allowing Friar Juan Rodríguez and his companions to establish a community on the coast of Andalucia.The first Christian building on the site was constructed over a small pre-existing Almohad building that lends its name 
("rábida" or "rápita", meaning "watchtower" in Arabic) to the present monastery.