Convento e Igreja de São Francisco

Introduction

The Convento e Igreja de São Francisco is Salvador's most magnificent colonial religious building. This 18th-century Baroque church, with its breathtaking gold-leaf interior — reportedly using ~500 kg of gold — exquisite blue-and-white tile panels and ornate Baroque carving, is the pinnacle of Brazilian colonial religious art. Built 1708-1723, it is Salvador's most opulent religious building. Inside, nearly every surface is covered in gilded wood carving — walls, columns and ceiling, dazzling and overwhelming, reportedly using ~500 kg of gold. The adjacent convent cloister walls feature beautiful blue-and-white azulejo tile panels depicting Portuguese proverb scenes. Visiting to experience the religious devotion and artistic extreme of colonial Brazil in a dazzling Baroque hall is a stunning, splendid Salvador experience.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info