Basilica of San Francisco, La Paz, Bolivia, Baroque church in central La Paz, Bolivia.
The Basilica of San Francisco is a baroque church in central La Paz with a single main portal set in a pointed arch, flanked by columns and ornamented panels. Its stone facade is crowned by a Franciscan shield, and a square bell tower with arched openings and a small dome rises above the entrance. The church faces the Plaza San Francisco, and a long stone wing with arched windows, now the Museo San Francisco, adjoins it.
The current church began construction in 1744 after the first structure from 1549 collapsed under heavy snow in the early 17th century. Work extended over several decades as stonemasons completed the richly decorated facade from local material.
The stone carvings on the facade show native Andean plants and animals alongside European motifs. This fusion appears especially in the columns and arches, where condors and tropical fruits sit next to Christian symbols.
The basilica faces the Plaza Mayor de San Francisco, with its long side along Sagárnaga Street, where the stone buttresses closing one nave are visible from outside. The single bell tower stands at one end of the facade, so the square is the place to step back and see the whole front. The Centro Cultural Museo San Francisco occupies part of the former convent beside the church.
The ceiling inside carries decorative elements similar to those at Santiago de Pomata church in Peru. This connection suggests the exchange of craftsmen or pattern books between both sites during colonial times.
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