Sao Francisco da Penitencia Church
Sao Francisco da Penitencia Church
Sao Francisco da Penitencia Church
4.7
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: 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
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
1,981 within 3 miles
Attractions
694 within 6 miles
See what travelers are saying
- Annemarie KYpsilanti, Michigan33 contributionsThis chapel is actually part of the museum and I almost missed it because the church itself is wide open. Be sure to buy a ticket to the museum, then tour the church with its guided gold rush of Baroque extravagance and look around the museum displays. Most interesting to me was also a separate confessional room, a large room with benches where people wait their turn while being able to see the priest and the penitent in conversation and confession. This church is very active and was crowded at midday mass.Visited April 2024Traveled soloWritten April 23, 2024
- Juliana dBrasilia, DF158 contributionsThis 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.Visited April 2024Traveled with familyWritten May 28, 2024
- NelsonM970Natal, RN904 contributionsA beautiful 19th-century church, all golden in the heart of Rio de Janeiro, with beautiful entrances in sculptures and altars. There is a small museum at the side entrance of the temple, the Sacred Museum. There is a special chapel built for the slaves. Access is very easy by Carioca Station. After more than 60 years closed, it was restored in 2019 and remains so far well preserved. It is a pleasant surprise and is close to the Monastery of St. Anthony. I recommend it for its beauty and as a beautiful example of Brazilian Baroque.Visited January 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten October 11, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.7
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Marinete M
782 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Without a doubt, the most sensational place I saw in Rio de Janeiro. This Church is also known as the Sacred Museum and has gold leafed walls and ceiling. Then I enter there is a Winged Christ that I have never seen anywhere in the world. There are so many details that you can't see everything in a whole day. Next door is the Slave Chapel, but it was closed that day. There are many sculptures of Saints and beautiful pieces. It's a place that leaves you with your mouth open. Go early, as it closes at 4pm.
Written October 2, 2023
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.
vakamalua
reston, va599 contributions
Jan 2020
Our guide has a personal connection to this church and wanted us to see it. It is a hidden gem of Portuguese Baroque architecture--ornate and dripping in gold leaf. It almost takes your breath away. Worth a stop for historical church and/or architecture buffs.
Written February 17, 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.
Jack Miller
Czech Republic24 contributions
Jul 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 June 16, 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, LA2,245 contributions
Jun 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 July 9, 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 October 7, 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 February 4, 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, UK1,137 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 November 5, 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, RJ429 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
Just need to check the operating hours because the museum and the church are closed most of the time!
Written May 27, 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, CA71 contributions
Sep 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 September 21, 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 February 28, 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.
Boa tarde, gostaria de levar minha mãe, gostaria de saber se o acesso p cadeirante é bom ou não ?
Written May 20, 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 September 5, 2016
can I attend church services on Sunday? or is Sao Francisco da Penitencia only open for touring?
Written September 3, 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 September 3, 2016
Alguém sabe se está aberta para visitação aos sábados?
Written May 4, 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 May 4, 2016
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