Igreja de São João Batista, Catholic church in São Luís, Brazil.

Igreja de São João Batista stands at the corner of Rua de São João and Rua da Paz in central São Luís. Its neoclassical facade has four Corinthian columns, a central door, five windows above it, and a pediment with the IHS symbol, an iron cross and the Latin inscription SANCTI JOANNIS BAPTISTÆ ECCLESIA. The two towers differ, giving the church an asymmetrical look; the years 1665 and 1934 are inscribed on them.

Construction is attributed to governor Ruy Vaz de Siqueira in 1665, possibly as penance after an affair, though a church may have existed before the Dutch invasion of 1641. Portuguese soldiers guarded it, and in 1673 their brotherhood received approval. It became a parish on 10 May 1857, was improved in 1862, and rebuilt in 1934.

The facade carries a Latin inscription, SANCTI JOANNIS BAPTISTÆ ECCLESIA, beneath a pediment with the IHS symbol of the Holy Name of Jesus, and the years 1665 and 1934 are inscribed on the two towers. The church was placed under the guard of Portuguese soldiers, whose brotherhood statute was approved in 1673. It became a parish on 10 May 1857, taking in the churches of Sant'Anna and Santo Antônio.

The church stands at the corner of Rua de São João and Rua da Paz in central São Luís. The facade faces the street, with a central door beneath five windows and two towers of different heights. Look for the Latin inscription and the dates 1665 and 1934 on the towers.

The two towers are deliberately unequal, an asymmetry considered a departure from neoclassical standards and a sign of mixing with other styles. The years 1665 and 1934 are inscribed on the towers, marking the construction under Ruy Vaz de Siqueira and the last major renovation.