Church and Monastery of Saint Francis - Vila do Conde

The Church of Saint Francis in Vila do Conde is part of a former monastery of the same name, originally the Monastery of Our Lady of the Incarnation.

This was the site of the old mother church, which was abandoned when the new one was built at the beginning of the 16th century . Due to its location next to the enclosure of the Convent of Santa Clara, the nuns wanted to include this land and the church among their possessions, which they did by exchanging with the Collegiate Church of Guimarães, to which they transferred the patronage of the Church of Murça.

In 1522, the space was ceded to the Franciscans so that they could build a convent dedicated to Our Lady of the Incarnation . The work was sponsored by Isabel de Mendanha, widow of D. João de Meneses, grandson of D. Fernando de Meneses and D. Brites de Andrade, whose tombs can still be found today in the church of Santa Clara. It was her late husband's close relationship with Vila do Conde that motivated Isabel de Mendanha to finance the construction.

Little is known about the monastery, but it was probably inhabited until the suppression of the religious orders in 1834. New dormitories continued to be built until the end of the 18th century. In 1839 the church was transferred to the Third Order of St. Francis, who in 1862, through José de Castro Pires da Cunha, bought the old monastery building at public auction . The following year, King Luís authorized the construction of a retirement home , which opened in 1867 and still stands today.

The Church of St. Francis has a single nave, oriented to the west, with an entrance portal on the south façade, with Manueline features. The two chapels of St. Anthony and St. Bras are visible and prominent on the outside. The first dates from 1566 and was built by Catarina Pereira and Estevão d'Eça, from the Casa de Cavaleiros in Outeiro Maior. The second was built by will of Francisco Freire and Maria de Sá Herédia, founders of the Casa da Bajoca in Vila do Conde, by document from 1655.

The pulpit on the north wall dates from 1685, according to an inscription. The organ dates from 1817 and was built by Manuel Sá Couto. The altarpiece in the choir, in the Joanine style, was built at the end of the 18th century and preserves some of the tiles that were then found everywhere in the church. Also noteworthy is the armchair with paintings related to the Order of St. Francis.

Willem Vandenameele