The effect of the confiscation or expropriation of church property was a widespread phenomenon in the Spanish cities during the nineteenth century and had a huge influence on the conversion of the historic center of Jerez during this period.
Replacing old convents for public squares with gardens, helped to create a new concept of the city, allowing the extension of the urban network and the inclusion of authentic green lungs in the maze of narrow streets and slightly sunny, which made up the historic Jerez until the opening of the walled city.
The current Plaza del Banco encompasses the site occupied by the former Convent of San Cristobal. This convent had been virtually abandoned by its community and was in ruins when in 1868, following the Glorious Revolution, it was demolished as a result of the initiated confiscations. With these actions, the city of Jerez, in addition to the expansion and creation of a public square, intended to provide a direct access to Long Street, which still remains.
The result of this demolition was a space initially called Revolution Square. Finally, the place was renamed Plaza del Banco, because it hosted several banks. Today, the Library and Municipal Archives of Jerez, considered one of the oldest municipal libraries in Andalusia, stand out among its buildings.
Currently both the square and the temple in it host concerts and other cultural activities, many of them belonging to popular celebrations such as the Carnival of Jerez, the Autumn Festival and the Medieval Market. Regarding the trees, there is a notably huge fig or Australian Banyan which is among the most exceptional and long-lived species of Jerez.