Church of Saint Joseph of the Exile, Colonial church in São Luís, Brazil.

The Church of Saint Joseph of the Exile stands on Largo do Desterro near the Bacanga waterfront in São Luís. It has a single square-based bell tower on the left, topped by pinnacles joined by iron railings bearing the date 1868. Five windows pierce the facade, the three central ones and the tower being later additions; the central door is flanked by niches and two other doors surmounted by oculi. Inside, the nave has a fired-clay tile floor and a barrel-vault ceiling, while the side aisles are timber-floored with wooden ceilings and the main altar has a stone floor and a 19th-century Neoclassical retable.

The first chapel on the site, dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Desterro, may date from 1618. Dutch forces under Admiral Jan Cornelisz Lichthart landed before it in 1641 and destroyed its images. In 1654 the Mercedarian friars João Cerveira and Marcos da Natividade were authorised to build the Igreja e Convento das Mercês there; the second church collapsed in 1832. Rebuilt with alms by José Lé and the clerk José Antônio Furtado de Queixo, it was finished in 1839, then rebuilt again by Marcelino José Antunes Pimenta and blessed on 21 November 1869.

The church is dedicated to Saint Joseph, but the first chapel on the site honoured Nossa Senhora do Desterro, and the 1654 Mercês church and convent were built there by the Mercedarian friars João Cerveira and Marcos da Natividade. The 1869 rebuilding was completed by Marcelino José Antunes Pimenta and blessed on 21 November 1869 in the presence of provincial president Brás de Sousa.

The building remains open for religious services and organized visits, though access times can change depending on ceremonies and events taking place. Visitors should check locally for guidance on when they can explore the interior and its decorations.

The church has a single bell tower, not two, topped by pinnacles joined by iron railings bearing the date 1868. The bulbous shapes on the pediment make it wrongly labelled Byzantine; the closest parallel is found in Franciscan churches in Goa, India.