In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The church is open every day, 9:00 to 20:00 from 1 April to 30 September and 9:00 to 19:00 from 1 October to 31 March, and closed on 25 December. The visit runs from the Gothic church, covered in gilded woodcarving, through the Casa do Despacho designed by Nicolau Nasoni to the catacombs and an ossuary. Tickets are sold at the ticket office, open the same hours; the Ordem’s own page is ordemsaofranciscoporto.pt/igrejas. The Palácio da Bolsa is next door. Or book a tour: the guided old-town walkad is from €28 (GetYourGuide), and does not go inside.
Tickets and hours
The church belongs to the Venerável Ordem Terceira de São Francisco do Porto, whose page above is the genuine channel. Sites with the church’s name in their address are resellers.
| Season | Church and ticket office | Closed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 April to 30 September | Every day, 9:00 to 20:00 | 25 December |
| 1 October to 31 March | Every day, 9:00 to 19:00 | 25 December |
- Where to buy: at the church’s ticket office, which keeps the church’s hours.
- GetYourGuide sells no ticket for the church. The walking tours below pass the old town but do not go inside.
- Virtual visit: the Ordem’s page has a virtual tour of each part, useful before you decide.
Tours worth paying for
The church has no guided visit of its own to book. These two old-town walks give you the streets round it; neither goes inside. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.
Historic city centre walking tour
From €28 · 3 hours · 4.7 stars from 1,202 reviews
Porto: Historic City Center Walking Tour with Hidden Gemsad is run by Porto Xperience Tours, in English, Portuguese, German, French or Spanish, in a private or small group. It has two starting points, stops at the Dom Luís I bridge, São Bento station, Aliados avenue and Rua dos Clérigos, and passes Livraria Lello. It is not suitable for people with mobility impairments. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Three-hour city highlights walking tour
From €22 · 3 hours · 4.8 stars from 3,063 reviews
Porto: 3-Hour Guided City Highlights Walking Tourad is run by Bluedragon City Tours. It passes the cathedral, Aliados avenue, the Clérigos church, Rua de Santa Catarina and the Bolhão market, and booking in advance is mandatory. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
What to see
Allow about an hour. The church is a National Monument (1910), and the Order’s own page calls it one of Portugal’s richest stores of gilded woodcarving. The route has three parts.
The nave of the Igreja de São Francisco, with gilded carving on the vaults and side altars. Photo: GualdimG, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- The church. Three aisles and five bays, Gothic in structure and Baroque inside: the carving dates from the 17th century to the middle of the 18th. Left of the entrance portal is the burial chapel of Luís Álvares de Sousa and a wall painting of Our Lady of the Rose, one of the oldest surviving in Portugal. Right of the portal, in a niche with the Franciscan arms, is a 13th-century statue of St Francis in coloured granite. The Tree of Jesse altarpiece, made in the 18th century by Filipe da Silva and António Gomes, shows twelve kings of Judah growing from the body of Jesse.
- The Casa do Despacho. Designed by Nicolau Nasoni, who also designed the Torre dos Clérigos, and finished in 1749. On the first floor, the Treasure Room holds a permanent display on the Order and the history of Porto. On the second floor, the Session Room has an octagonal coffered ceiling, painted white and inlaid with gilded carving, and an altarpiece of Christ on the Cross attributed to José Teixeira Guimarães.
- The catacombs. Between 1749 and 1866 the Order’s benefactors were buried here. The oldest part has a Baroque altar with gilded carving, with burial vaults along the sides, and the ossuary displays thousands of bones of brothers and benefactors.
What to skip: nothing; the three parts are one route.
The Tree of Jesse altarpiece in the church. Photo: xiquinhosilva, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Practical information
- Where: Rua da Bolsa 80, 4050-116 Porto, next to the Palácio da Bolsa.
- Hours: 9:00 to 20:00 from 1 April to 30 September; 9:00 to 19:00 from 1 October to 31 March.
- Closed: 25 December.
- The one thing to know: from 1 October it closes at 19:00, an hour earlier than in summer.
The west front of the Igreja de São Francisco on Rua da Bolsa. Photo: John Samuel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Palácio da Bolsa is a guided tour booked by date and stands on the ruins of the convent that adjoined the church. The Torre dos Clérigos is another Nasoni building, and azulejos in Porto lists the tiled churches. What to book in Porto has the closed days for every sight, Porto in 2 days puts the church in a plan, and hotels near the Ribeira are a short walk away.
Common questions
What are the Igreja de São Francisco's opening hours?
Every day from 9:00 to 20:00 between 1 April and 30 September, and from 9:00 to 19:00 between 1 October and 31 March. The ticket office keeps the same hours. It is closed on 25 December.
What is inside the Igreja de São Francisco?
A three-aisle Gothic church whose walls are covered in gilded Baroque woodcarving, then the Casa do Despacho, designed by Nicolau Nasoni and finished in 1749, with its Treasure Room and Session Room, and the catacombs with an ossuary.
Where is the Igreja de São Francisco?
At Rua da Bolsa 80, 4050-116 Porto, next to the Palácio da Bolsa. The Bolsa stands on the site of the convent buildings that adjoined the church.
Who is buried in the catacombs?
The brothers and benefactors of the Venerável Ordem Terceira de São Francisco. Between 1749 and 1866 every benefactor of the Order was buried there. The ossuary displays thousands of their bones.
Is the Igreja de São Francisco a UNESCO site?
It stands in the Historic Centre of Porto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, and has been a National Monument since 1910.
_15.jpg){kind=link}