PORTO - Church of Saint Francis ( Igreja de São Francisco )

The Church of Saint Francis (Igreja de São Francisco) is located in the historic centre of the city and is the most prominent Gothic monument in Porto, also noted for its outstanding Baroque inner decoration. In 1383, under the patronage of King Ferdinand I, the Franciscans built a more spacious church, replacing the old one. This new structure was finished around 1425 and followed a relatively plain Gothic design, typical for the mendicant orders in Portugal. The general structure of the church has not been extensively altered, making São Francisco the best example of Gothic architecture in Porto. The main artistic campaign of the church was carried out in the first half of the 18th century, when most of the surfaces of the interior of the church, including walls, pillars, side chapels and roof, were covered with Portuguese gilt wood work (talha dourada) in Baroque style. Particularly notable are the many Baroque altarpieces of the apse chapels and the nave, which are among the best in Portugal. The main façade of the Franciscan church has a large, elaborate rose window in Gothic style. This is the only original decoration of the main façade. The West portal is now a typical Baroque work, organised in two tiers, with solomonic columns and a statue of St Francis. A polychrome granite statue (13th century) of Saint Francis of Assisi, standing inside the church next to the entrance within a Baroque altarpiece, is a remnant of the first St Francis church, replaced after 1383 by the present structure. In the early 18th century the lateral aisles and apse chapels were extensively decorated with exuberant gilt wood work (talha dourada) by several Portuguese wood carvers. This decorative richness is the most notable feature of the Franciscan church, covering almost completely the roofs of the aisles, pillars, window frames and chapels and hiding the underlying mediaeval architecture The facade of the church is flanked by interesting monuments like the 18th century, Neoclassical Church of the Ordem Terceira de São Francisco and its Catacombs and the Dispatch House of the Order (Casa de Despachos), which houses a museum and has an interesting Baroque interior. Below the church’s three interior, thera are the catacombs that hold tombs for members of the Franciscan order and in a corner of the crypt, in front of a door to nowhere lies a glass, grated window in the floor where visitors can view the piles of human bones below feet. Here a lot of contrasts between earthy abundance and eternal austerity, between creaking floorboards numbering the dead’s tombs beneath one’s feet and an estimated 400kg of gold leaf that covering the decorate wood carvings and statues just one level above, where it’s impossible see only a centimetre without decorations. Otherworldly cherubs and sober monks are everywhere. Font Wikipedia: ão_Francisco_(Porto) Music by Whitesand Title: Little Things Link: Website - Support making these tracks - Buy My Music - Spotify: Filmed with SONY RX10M3 and INSTA360 X3 in March 2023. #porto #portugal #portogallo