must-visit in SalvadorChurch & Religious Site

Convento e Igreja de São Francisco

📍 Largo do Cruzeiro de São Francisco, S/N, Centro Histórico, Salvador, BA 40020-280, Brazil

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4.3/ 5.0

★★★★☆

Quick Facts

Location: Brazil, Salvador
Category: Church & Religious Site
Duration: 1–1.5 hours; half a day with the Third Order church.
Opening Hours: Closed since the 5 Feb 2025 collapse, no reopening date; IPHAN's timeline points to 2029. A first R$20m from the Novo PAC came in Feb 2026; total repairs ~R$86m.
Ticket Price: Adult: R$10 · The church is closed and ticketing suspended. Next door, the Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco remains open to visitors (about R$10; check on-site times).
Address: Largo do Cruzeiro de São Francisco, S/N, Centro Histórico, Salvador, BA 40020-280, Brazil
Coordinates: -12.9747, -38.5089

Introduction

The Church and Convent of São Francisco in Salvador's historic Pelourinho quarter is among the most opulent Portuguese-Baroque buildings in the Americas, nicknamed the Golden Church. Franciscan friars reached Bahia in 1587, and their early church was destroyed in the 17th-century Dutch invasions; the present convent began in 1686 and the church rose between 1708 and 1723, its interior decoration only finished around 1755. Unusual among Franciscan churches of northeast Brazil, the nave has three aisles; the symmetric façade carries three portals and twin towers. Virtually every interior surface — walls, columns, vaults and ceilings — is sheathed in gilded cedar carving (talha dourada) with Solomonic columns, an estimated 800 kg of gold leaf in all. Around 55,000 Portuguese blue-and-white azulejos, the largest collection in any Latin American church, arrived in Bahia between 1743 and 1746 and were laid by 1748: scenes from the life of St Francis in the chancel and transept, and 37 panels of moral allegories after Horace and 17th-century Flemish engravings across the two-storey cloister. The illusionistic ceiling of the entrance hall was painted in 1774 by José Joaquim da Rocha, founder of the Bahian school. Much of the carving, gilding and tiling was done by enslaved and freed Afro-Brazilian artisans. The complex became IPHAN national heritage in 1938 and part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Centre of Salvador in 1985; a partial roof collapse in February 2025 killed one person and injured several, and parts of the church remain under repair.

✨ Highlights

The Golden Church

Virtually every interior surface is sheathed in gilded cedar carving (talha dourada) — an estimated 800 kg of gold leaf, the richest in Brazil.

A three-aisled Baroque nave

Built 1708–1723, the church has a three-aisled nave rare among Franciscan houses of northeast Brazil; the symmetric façade has three portals, twin towers and Solomonic columns.

55,000 Portuguese tiles

About 55,000 Lisbon-made azulejos — the largest collection in any Latin American church — reached Bahia between 1743 and 1746 and were laid by 1748.

Horace on the cloister

The two-storey cloister sets roughly 35,000 tiles into 37 panels of moral allegory after Horace and 17th-century Flemish engravings — a proverb book at architectural scale.

Who built it

Much of the carving, gilding and tiling was done by enslaved and freed Afro-Brazilian artisans; the entrance hall's 1774 illusionist ceiling is by José Joaquim da Rocha.

A World Heritage site behind closed doors

National heritage since 1938, part of the UNESCO Historic Centre of Salvador since 1985 and counted among the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin; on 5 February 2025 part of the nave ceiling collapsed, killing a 26-year-old visitor and injuring five. The Franciscan community has launched a Notre-Dame-style national fundraising drive alongside IPHAN's R$86 million plan.

🛈 Practical Info

→Duration：1–1.5 hours; half a day including the Third Order church next door.

→Pair with：With the church closed, visit the open Third Order church and its unique carved sandstone facade, the cathedral, Terreiro de Jesus, the Elevador Lacerda and the Modelo market instead.

→Etiquette：Still a working convent and church — keep quiet; photography inside the nave is often restricted, the cloister usually allowed.

→Repairs：A partial roof collapse in February 2025 killed one person and injured several; termite and damp damage has accumulated for years, so routes may change.

→Food：Restaurants and kiosks cluster nearby with tourist-area pricing; Bahian moqueca fish stew is worth trying.

→Opening Hours：Closed since the 5 Feb 2025 collapse, no reopening date; IPHAN's timeline points to 2029. A first R$20m from the Novo PAC came in Feb 2026; total repairs ~R$86m.

→Transportation：In Pelourinho's historic centre, about a 10-minute walk from the top of the Elevador Lacerda; soft shoes for cobbles.

Ticket Information

Ticket Information
Adult	R$10

The church is closed and ticketing suspended. Next door, the Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco remains open to visitors (about R$10; check on-site times).

💡 Tips

• The church has been closed since the 5 February 2025 collapse and is not open; no reopening date has been announced, so plan on the neighbouring Third Order church instead.

• Call +55 71 3322-6430 or check the official site for open areas — parts of the complex are still under repair after the February 2025 roof collapse.

• The side door on Rua Inácio Acioli often skips the main-entrance queue; the church faces a square with a large stone cross.

• The cloister tiles are the highlight: 37 Horace allegories reward a slow walk. Let your eyes adjust to the dim nave before looking up at the gilded ceilings.

• Remember that much of the gold leaf and tiling was laid by enslaved and freed Afro-Brazilian artisans — visiting means facing that history too.

• The Third Order church next door is equally gilded Baroque and far less crowded — combine the two.

• Morning light suits the façade and cloister; Sunday afternoons are given over to Mass, limiting visitor areas.

FAQ

What are the opening hours of Convento e Igreja de São Francisco?

Closed since the 5 Feb 2025 collapse, no reopening date; IPHAN's timeline points to 2029. A first R$20m from the Novo PAC came in Feb 2026; total repairs ~R$86m.

How much is the admission for Convento e Igreja de São Francisco?

Adult: R$10; The church is closed and ticketing suspended. Next door, the Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco remains open to visitors (about R$10; check on-site times).

Any practical tips for visiting Convento e Igreja de São Francisco?

The church has been closed since the 5 February 2025 collapse and is not open; no reopening date has been announced, so plan on the neighbouring Third Order church instead. Call +55 71 3322-6430 or check the official site for open areas — parts of the complex are still under repair after the February 2025 roof collapse.