A Igreja de São Francisco (The Church of Saint Francis) and its attached convent are up the cobbled streets and to the left at the far side of the Terreio de Jesus, standing at the end of an adjacent square (Praça Anchieta), beyond a large stone cross. This is where sweat was turned into splendor, and where the descendents of those not allowed to enter in centuries past now gather en masse for Tuesday evening masses (held at 6:00 p.m.). The place is awash in gold leaf, and it hosts a rococo gallery of saints and angels which, again, one would be hard-pressed to find in any other church -- pregnant cherubs and saints with protuberant manhoods -- all carved, of course, by slaves.

Igreja de Ordem Terceira de São Francisco, this church is adjacent to Igreja de São Francisco and it was constructed in 1702, it has a gorgeous sandstone facade, which is unique in Brazil. The facade remained hidden until it was accidentally discovered in the 1930s. There are beautiful paintings on the ceiling, created by Franco Velasco, in 1831. The church has a sun clock and a museum. Open Mon to Fri, from 8 to 11:30 am and from 1 to 5 pm.

Explore Salvador

  ·Around Salvador
  ·Churches of São Francisco
  ·Cidade Baixa
  ·From Praça Municipal to Terreiro de Jesus
  ·Igreja do Bonfim
  ·Largo do Pelourinho
  ·Museu Afro-Brasileiro
  ·Museu Nautico da Bahia
  ·Museu da Arte Sacra