Salvador - São Francisco / Ordem Terceira de São Francisco

São Francisco

Ordem Terceira

de São Francisco

A little way south of the Terreiro de Jesus are the church and friary of São Francisco and the church of the Third Order (Ordem Terceira) of São Francisco. The friary, originally built in 1587, was destroyed during the fighting with the Dutch and was rebuilt in 1686. The walls of the spacious square cloister are faced with superb Portuguese azulejo pictures. The church, stylistically a mingling of Mannerism and Baroque, was built between 1708 and 1750. The gable is completely Baroque; the interior reflects the Portuguese ideal of a "golden church". Contrary to the normal plan of the mendicant orders' churches, the nave is flanked by aisles, and both nave and aisles are