Igreja de São Francisco, Church building in Évora, Portugal

Igreja de São Francisco is a Gothic-Manueline church built of grey stone blocks, with a single nave rising to a pointed vault 24 metres high on clustered columns and ribbed arches. At the far end, a large arched opening above the altar area is flanked by two gilded, multi-tiered retables; a small stained-glass window sits high in the centre of the back wall. Below, a central aisle of light stone is bordered by wooden pews and a low balustrade of white and dark marble.

A Romanesque church of 1226 preceded this building; the present church was built from 1475 to the 1550s to a design by Martim Lourenço, with Pero de Trilho among the master masons. The single nave replaced three aisles within the original limits, and the convent became a royal chapel under Afonso V, decorated with the emblems of João II and Manuel I. After 1834 the monastic wings were nationalised and mostly demolished around 1895; the church survived because the parish seat moved here in 1840.

The church became the Royal Chapel when the court of King Afonso V began staying in the convent during his visits to Évora, which brought it the nickname Convento de Ouro. The Manueline nave carries the cross of the Order of Christ and the emblems of the founding kings João II and Manuel I. Tradition holds that the playwright Gil Vicente was buried here in 1536, on the left side of the entrance.

The church is easily reached on foot and most areas inside are relatively accessible for visitors who want to explore the interior. There are limited seating areas, and it is wise to check beforehand if certain areas like the bone chapel are open for viewing at the time of your visit.

One area of this building holds bones and skulls of about 5000 people arranged deliberately on the walls to prompt reflection on human mortality. This unusual arrangement was a spiritual method to encourage deeper thought about life and death.