Igreja de São Francisco e Capela dos Ossos

About the museum

The Igreja de São Francisco in Évora was built between 1475 and the 1550s, in Gothic style with Manueline influences, on the site of an earlier Romanesque church. It was classified as a National Monument in 1910. The church belonged to the Franciscan convent and is today one of the most visited sites in the city.

The Capela dos Ossos was built in the 17th century, following the taste of the period, to make visitors reflect on the transience of human life. The walls and pillars are covered with bones and skulls from the convent's burial spaces. The vault has fresco paintings from 1810 with biblical scenes and symbols of the Passion of Christ, and near the exit there is an azulejo panel by Siza Vieira.

The museum nucleus occupies the former friars' dormitory, above the Sala do Capítulo and the Capela dos Ossos, which had been vacant since the end of the 19th century and was restored during the 2014–2015 rehabilitation. It brings together pieces from the convent itself and from other extinct Franciscan convents in Évora: painting, sculpture from the 16th to 18th centuries, sacred goldsmith's work, vestments and devotional objects. The ticket also includes the collection of nativity scenes.

Highlights

• 17th-century Capela dos Ossos, with walls covered in bones and skulls
• Azulejo panel by Siza Vieira near the exit
• Museum nucleus in the former friars' dormitory
• Canha da Silva nativity scene collection
• Gothic-Manueline church, a National Monument since 1910

Permanent exhibitions

• Capela dos Ossos – 17th-century chapel with walls and pillars covered in bones and skulls, a vault frescoed in 1810 and an azulejo panel by Siza Vieira.
• Núcleo museológico – Painting, sculpture from the 16th to 18th centuries, sacred goldsmith's work and vestments from the convent and from other extinct Franciscan convents in Évora.
• Coleção de presépios Canha da Silva – Collection of nativity scenes from various origins, included in the single ticket.

Admission & discounts

Single ticket for the Capela dos Ossos, the Sala do Capítulo and the Presépio Évora, the sacred art museum nucleus, the Sala da Tribuna Real and the Terraço da Galilé, and the Canha da Silva nativity scene collection. Visiting the church is free. State museum discounts and card benefits do not apply.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

In Praça 1.º de Maio, in the historic centre of Évora.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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