Church of Saint Francis of Assisi (Ouro Preto)

Sede de Ouro Preto, Brazil

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

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The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Ouro Preto, Brazil, is a masterwork of Rococo architecture designed by the renowned Brazilian architect and sculptor Antônio Francisco Lisboa, known as Aleijadinho. Construction began in 1766 following a design approved by Portuguese authorities in 1771, though the interior decoration—which Aleijadinho himself created—was not completed until the late nineteenth century. The church is distinguished by its innovative circular bell towers and an oculus sealed by a relief, then-novel features in Brazilian religious architecture. A soapstone frontispiece frames the single entrance, carved with a relief of Saint Francis receiving the stigmata. The interior displays sumptuous golden woodwork, statues, and paintings, including a ceiling painting by Manuel da Costa Ataíde. Recognized for its architectural and historical significance to eighteenth-century Brazilian gold mining, the church is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and numbered among the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World.