Sao Francisco da Penitencia Church
Sao Francisco da Penitencia Church
Sao Francisco da Penitencia Church
4.5
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The area
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Neighbourhood: Centro
Downtown Rio is the place where this city was born. With modern skyscrapers sharing space with historical buildings and landmarks, this neighbourhood is living proof that the old and the new can live together harmoniously. As you would expect, downtown is where all major companies house their offices. However, the region isn’t restricted to businesses. Gems such like the “Paço Imperial,” which is a cultural centre that used to serve as a residence for governors of Brazil, can be found here. Pedra do Sal, a Monday night street party, is also in this neighbourhood. This landmark is the birthplace of samba and is famous for its “roda de sambas” (“dance circles”). Stop in for one and get closer to discovering where Brazilian happiness comes from.
How to get there
- Carioca • 2 min walk
- Uruguai • 7 min walk
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4.5
346 reviews
Excellent
251
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75
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17
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2
Terrible
1
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Juliana d
Brasilia, DF158 contributions
Apr 2024 • Family
This place is shocking... it's a sight for sore eyes. Very incredible. Entry 20 reais (in full on April/24). Get off at the Centro subway and walk. Take advantage and take a tour of the center of Rio, there is a lot to see, and have a snack at the Colombo confectionery, located on a street very close to this museum. Take water. There is a fair at the foot of the church.
Written 28 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jack Miller
Czech Republic25 contributions
July 2019
In addition to the beautiful church, it contains many objects and paintings from the last century.
For those who like it is the history they are visiting the city can not fail to witness this wonder.
For those who like it is the history they are visiting the city can not fail to witness this wonder.
Written 16 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vincent M
New Orleans, LA2,256 contributions
June 2015 • Solo
The church of the Third Order of St Francis is part of the Franciscan monastic complex of Santo Antonio, on Santo Antonio Hill, an easy walk from Praca XV, and an even easier one from the Carioca metro station. There’s a common entrance and admission fee to both churches, as well as a Museum of (Baroque) Sacred Art, and there’s a lift if you need it. The church of St Anthony is relatively modest (see photo); Sao Francisco is emphatically not.
Third Orders are confraternities of lay persons who are associated with a religious community (first orders are priests and monks; and second, nuns); for example, on Praca XV, the Ordem Terceira church of Carmo is Carmelite. The Third Order associated with the Franciscans is second to none in illustrious members. In addition to kings, queens, and Joan of Arc (who presumably missed that bit in the Rule about members not being allowed to bear arms), this order’s membership includes Dante, Giotto, Sir Thomas More, Petrarch, Michelangelo, Raphael, Christopher Columbus, Cervantes, and Lucrezia Borgia (who must have missed just about every other bit in the Rule). Significantly, Saint (and Queen) Isabel of Portugal was a Franciscan tertiary, as was Vasco da Gama, Portugal’s greatest navigator. Let’s just say that Third Orders had some clout.
The Third Order associated with Rio’s Santo Antonio was formed in 1619 and initially used a chapel of that church. In mid-century they were authorized to build themselves a church adjacent to it. Construction began in 1657 and was completed in 1733. To their credit, the Third Order also built a hospital on the Largo da Carioca at the base of the hill (the hospital was moved, and the building demolished, in the 20th century, to make room for lots of shopping opportunities when you get back down to the bottom of the steps).
The attraction of Sao Francisco to the modern tourist is not so much the façade or floor-plan, but an age-old attraction: the lure of gold! Like several other Baroque colonial churches in Brazil, Sao Francisco’s interior is richly decorated with elaborate wood-carving; in this case done over 17 years by the Portuguese masters Manuel and Francisco de Brito. However, unlike most other colonial churches, including even the Royal Chapel, not only are those cartouches and curly-ques lavishly gilded in gold, but so is everything else in the entire church: all gold, pretty much every square inch of it! The two rows of heavy silver lanterns hanging down on either side of the aisle look positively drab by comparison (see photo). From shoe level up, or the seat of your pants if you count the pews, about the only relief from gold, gold everywhere, is the ceiling mural of the Glorification of Saint Francis, by the Portuguese artist Caetano da Costa Coelho, who would next move on to do San Bento uptown (closed temporarily just now).
The exterior view from Sao Francisco is downright disappointing (see photo), even from the broad terrace, where mediocre high-rises fronting the Largo da Carioca (see photo) block what 200 years ago was perhaps the best panorama in the city. I’ll upload to TA a photo of what it looked like back then, taken from a Belas Artes museum painting of Franciscans viewing Guanabara Bay and Sugarloaf from the monastery. Comparing that to what little you can see from the same spot today is a tear-jerker.
My personal take: the opulence of Sao Francisco is contrary to everything St Francis of Assisi stood for. However, the same is true of Santa Croce, the pride of Renaissance Florentine bankers (and resting place of the Franciscan tertiary Michelangelo); many Franciscan clerics argued then that it was inappropriate. The solid silver ordination hall of Wat Sri Suphan in Thailand is equally contrary to the Buddha’s renunciation of worldly wealth. It’s a multi-denominational issue. But if you don’t mind irony, I’d still strongly recommend you visit any of these three over-the-top places of worship if you can.
Third Orders are confraternities of lay persons who are associated with a religious community (first orders are priests and monks; and second, nuns); for example, on Praca XV, the Ordem Terceira church of Carmo is Carmelite. The Third Order associated with the Franciscans is second to none in illustrious members. In addition to kings, queens, and Joan of Arc (who presumably missed that bit in the Rule about members not being allowed to bear arms), this order’s membership includes Dante, Giotto, Sir Thomas More, Petrarch, Michelangelo, Raphael, Christopher Columbus, Cervantes, and Lucrezia Borgia (who must have missed just about every other bit in the Rule). Significantly, Saint (and Queen) Isabel of Portugal was a Franciscan tertiary, as was Vasco da Gama, Portugal’s greatest navigator. Let’s just say that Third Orders had some clout.
The Third Order associated with Rio’s Santo Antonio was formed in 1619 and initially used a chapel of that church. In mid-century they were authorized to build themselves a church adjacent to it. Construction began in 1657 and was completed in 1733. To their credit, the Third Order also built a hospital on the Largo da Carioca at the base of the hill (the hospital was moved, and the building demolished, in the 20th century, to make room for lots of shopping opportunities when you get back down to the bottom of the steps).
The attraction of Sao Francisco to the modern tourist is not so much the façade or floor-plan, but an age-old attraction: the lure of gold! Like several other Baroque colonial churches in Brazil, Sao Francisco’s interior is richly decorated with elaborate wood-carving; in this case done over 17 years by the Portuguese masters Manuel and Francisco de Brito. However, unlike most other colonial churches, including even the Royal Chapel, not only are those cartouches and curly-ques lavishly gilded in gold, but so is everything else in the entire church: all gold, pretty much every square inch of it! The two rows of heavy silver lanterns hanging down on either side of the aisle look positively drab by comparison (see photo). From shoe level up, or the seat of your pants if you count the pews, about the only relief from gold, gold everywhere, is the ceiling mural of the Glorification of Saint Francis, by the Portuguese artist Caetano da Costa Coelho, who would next move on to do San Bento uptown (closed temporarily just now).
The exterior view from Sao Francisco is downright disappointing (see photo), even from the broad terrace, where mediocre high-rises fronting the Largo da Carioca (see photo) block what 200 years ago was perhaps the best panorama in the city. I’ll upload to TA a photo of what it looked like back then, taken from a Belas Artes museum painting of Franciscans viewing Guanabara Bay and Sugarloaf from the monastery. Comparing that to what little you can see from the same spot today is a tear-jerker.
My personal take: the opulence of Sao Francisco is contrary to everything St Francis of Assisi stood for. However, the same is true of Santa Croce, the pride of Renaissance Florentine bankers (and resting place of the Franciscan tertiary Michelangelo); many Franciscan clerics argued then that it was inappropriate. The solid silver ordination hall of Wat Sri Suphan in Thailand is equally contrary to the Buddha’s renunciation of worldly wealth. It’s a multi-denominational issue. But if you don’t mind irony, I’d still strongly recommend you visit any of these three over-the-top places of worship if you can.
Written 9 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Clare S
Flagstaff, AZ80 contributions
Oct 2019
This is a hidden gem. Everyone should go see it! The church is small, but beautiful, and there's an interesting little museum to see. We got lucky and visited on St. Francis Day (4 October), so admission was free, and we were able to see parts of the complex that aren't usually open to the public.
Written 7 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paula Duprat
26 contributions
Jan 2020
A jewel, a real jewel we have just discovered after many, many trips to Rio.- It's really amazing! Don't miss it.
Written 4 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
B M
Great Yarmouth, UK1,143 contributions
Feb 2019
We took this in as part of our organised trip, It is Just beautiful inside and out,,.. The architecture is amazing, we took some fantastic photo's, unfortunately we didn't have a lot of time to enjoy our visit to the full.. I highly recommend if you enjoy Cathedral and Churches as we do..
Written 5 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A.B.Maeda
Rio de Janeiro, RJ431 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
Just need to check the operating hours because the museum and the church are closed most of the time!
Written 27 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
149marleentje
San Jose, CA72 contributions
Sept 2015 • Couples
Amazing church, hidden in downtown
Worth a visit!
Just restored and in excellent condition....
Fantastic
Worth a visit!
Just restored and in excellent condition....
Fantastic
Written 21 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
joch642
Sydney13 contributions
Dec 2014 • Family
We stumbled upon this little church - lots of renovations going on in the vicinity - but it was fantastic. Kids loved it, they had never seen anything like it before! We were the only ones there, so was easy to get a good look. So much gold!
Written 28 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Weak Knee Traveler
Singapore, Singapore12,833 contributions
Sept 2019 • Solo
The exterior of the church looked ordinary but was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful decor inside. You really can't judge a book by its cover.
Written 5 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Boa tarde, gostaria de levar minha mãe, gostaria de saber se o acesso p cadeirante é bom ou não ?
Written 20 May 2024
Is Sao Francisco da Penitencia Church open on Sunday for a tour since there is no mass held there on Sunday? Can I visit on my own or should I sign up with a tour? Is there a cost to visit on my own? Thank you.
Written 5 September 2016
can I attend church services on Sunday? or is Sao Francisco da Penitencia only open for touring?
Written 3 September 2016
There are no mass , Sao Francisco is a museum but however you can attend mass next door at the Santo Antonio church. On the right side of the wall you can see a little chapel which is in the Sao Francisco church/museum which is in the wall separating the 2 entities
Written 3 September 2016
Alguém sabe se está aberta para visitação aos sábados?
Written 4 May 2016
Em novembro, quando estive lá, abria somente de terça a sexta, das 9h ao meio dia, e das 13 às 16h. Este horário estava em um papel coladono elevador e eu tirei uma foto para não esquecer.
Written 4 May 2016
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