San Francisco Church. Just like the cathedral, the Franciscan Church of San Francisco (Igreja de Sao Fransisco) is an amazing combination of different architectural styles. Originally, this was a gothic church, and you can see that by the rare of the building. However, eventually some elements of the Baroque style appeared in its design. The church was built in the XIV-XV centuries. In the XVI century a baptismal chapel was added to it. The chapel was designed by architect Diego de Castillo. The altar of the chapel is decorated with icons representing scenes from Epiphany.
The church is mostly known for its wood carving in the baroque style. You will see it everywhere – beautiful cherubs, saints, animals, and flowers can be seen on the ceiling, in the naves, along the windows and columns. Because of such a large number of carvings, that are often glided, it is hard to pay attention to the building itself. This frivolous decor (talhas douradas) was in such a contrast to austerity preached by the Franciscans that the local clergy decided to stop using the church as a place for prayers! The left aisle of the church is the location of the genealogical tree of Jesus Christ.
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