Igreja de São Francisco (St. Francis Church), Porto (must see)

Back in 1244, the Franciscans in Porto found themselves in what might be called a less-than-warm welcome situation. The local bishop didn't quite like them, and other clergy didn't mind pushing them around either. So, the Franciscans did what any determined medieval order would do—they went straight to the top. Pope Innocent V promptly issued a papal bull, which firmly scolded the bishop and handed back the land that the bishop had taken from them. With that settled, the Franciscans wasted no time—they got to work, establishing their convent and laying the foundations of their church.

But staying modest wasn’t entirely their long-term plan. By 1383, with support from King Ferdinand I of Portugal, the Franciscans decided to go bigger. The new church, completed in 1425, followed the restrained Gothic style typical of mendicant orders—simple, functional, and focused. Even today, the Church of Saint Francis stands as one of the finest Gothic structures in Porto… at least on the outside.

On the inside, things take a dramatic turn.

From the 15th century onward, Porto’s elite families began adopting the church as their own. Chapels were added, like the Manueline-style Chapel of Saint John the Baptist, commissioned by the Carneiro family in the 1530s. Then came the 18th century, when subtlety officially left the building. The interior was covered—quite literally—in gilded woodcarving. Walls, columns, arches, ceilings… if it could be carved, it was carved, and then covered in gold. Lots of it.

Not everything survived intact, though. During the Siege of Porto in the 1830s, the cloisters were destroyed. In their place rose the Stock Exchange Palace, shifting the site’s role from spiritual to commercial.

Indeed, this place is where craftsmanship goes all in—an immersive display of intricate woodwork layered in gold, the kind that quietly suggests someone, somewhere, had both time and resources to spare.

And before you leave, take a few extra minutes. The small museum and the catacombs are included in your ticket—and they add just enough shadow and context to balance all that gold...