Church of Saint Francis of Assisi (Ouro Preto)

Church of Saint Francis of Assisi
Igreja de São Francisco de Assis
20°23′12″S 43°30′11″W / 20.386645°S 43.502925°W / -20.386645; -43.502925
Location	Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais
Country	Brazil
Denomination	Roman Catholic Church
Architecture
Architect(s)	Aleijadinho
Style	Baroque, rococo
Years built	1765-1890
Administration
Archdiocese	Archdiocese of Mariana
National Historic Heritage of Brazil
Designated	1938
Reference no.	111
[1]

The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi (Portuguese: Igreja de São Francisco de Assis) is a Rococo Catholic church in Ouro Preto, Brazil. Its erection began in 1766 after a design by the Brazilian architect and sculptor Antônio Francisco Lisboa, otherwise known as Aleijadinho. Lisboa designed both the structure of the church and the carved decorations on the interior, which were only finished towards the end of the 19th century. The circular bell towers and the oculus closed by a relief were original features in religious architecture of that time in Brazil. The façade has a single entrance door under a soapstone frontispiece under a relief depicting Saint Francis receiving the stigmata. The interior is richly decorated with golden woodwork, statues and paintings, and the wooden ceiling displays a painting by Manuel da Costa Ataíde.

Due to its architecture and historical significance regarding eighteenth-century gold mining, the church is classified on the UNESCO World Heritage List.^[2] It is one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World.