Sitting to the south of the hill on which the famous Convento do Cristo resides, the Convent and Church of São Francisco give us a testament to monastic resilience. The complex’s journey to realisation was marked by a lengthy legal dispute.

Though the Franciscan friars originally received royal permission to build here in 1562, the master of the powerful local Order of Christ fiercely opposed the project, initiating a legal battle over the property. So, it wasn't until 1624 that construction began. Holding on to the very idea of this convent for more than 42 years!

The church’s architecture, which serves as a textbook example of the so-called Plain Style. A uniquely Portuguese architectural approach, geometric lines, and a distinct lack of heavy exterior ornamentation. Inside, the altar piece garners special attention.

Depicting not just Jesus, but also Dismas and Gestas, the two thieves by his side and even the Roman army that nailed him to the cross.

Following the 1834 dissolution of religious orders, the convent underwent a radical secular shift, serving for generations as a military barracks. Yet, the historic church successfully weathered these turbulent political upheavals. Remaining fully active to this day.