São Francisco Cultural Centre

About this place

The São Francisco Cultural Centre is the Franciscan complex of the Church of St Francis and the Convent of St Anthony in the old centre of João Pessoa, one of the most splendid Baroque ensembles in Brazil. Building began in 1589 and went on, interrupted by the Dutch occupation, until 1788; in that period the friars were expelled and the convent became a military post, because it commands the whole Sanhauá valley as far as Cabedelo. Its sloping forecourt is enclosed by a wall faced with Portuguese glazed tiles, with a monolithic stone cross at its centre. The writer Mário de Andrade wrote that from the Northeast to Bahia there was no prettier or more original church exterior than this one. Inside, the walls are lined with Portuguese tile panels telling the story of Joseph in Egypt, and the carved, gilded wooden pulpit is especially admired. The complex now works as a cultural centre and museum, visited with a ticket.