St. François Atoll, Coral atoll in Outer Islands, Seychelles.

St. François Atoll lies 403 km south of Victoria and 2 km south of Alphonse Atoll, separated from it by the deep Canal de Mort. It measures 10.5 km by 5.0 km including reef flat and lagoon, about 53 km², with two islands: St. François in the south and smaller Bijoutier in the north. The islands' combined land area is 0.5 km², and there are no natural freshwater sources.

In 1562 Portuguese charts labelled the whole Alphonse Group, including this atoll, as San Francisco, which may explain the name. On 28 June 1730 the French frigate Le Lys, commanded by Chevalier Alphonse de Pontevez, visited the group and named St François, possibly after that Portuguese label. Some accounts date the visit wrongly and link the name to the feast of St Francis de Sales on 29 January. St. François later held a few men harvesting coconuts, but the plantation never became productive.

The atoll's name comes from Portuguese charts of 1562, where the whole Alphonse Group was marked as San Francisco; French captain Alphonse de Pontevez visited on 28 June 1730 and named St François, possibly after that Portuguese label. Bijoutier Island's name derives from the French word for jeweller, though the reason is unknown. The only land bird is the house sparrow, at its most southerly outpost in Seychelles.

The only way to reach this atoll is by boat from neighboring Alphonse Island, as no permanent structures or facilities exist there. Visitors should expect a remote location with minimal infrastructure and natural conditions that change with weather and tides.

Bijoutier, the atoll's northern island, covers 0.03 km² and can be walked around in a few minutes; it is reached by boat only at high tide. Its French name means "jeweller", though the sources record no explanation for the choice. St. François once held a small coconut-harvesting crew whose plantation never became productive.