Igreja de São Francisco, Porto

Here is Igreja de São Francisco, a church in Porto named for Francis of Assisi. Its Gothic structure—medieval architecture built around pointed arches and dramatic height—makes it Porto’s leading monument of that tradition. On the main façade, notice the intricate stonework around the entrance.

The rose window is the only surviving original decoration there, while the portal is Baroque work with a statue of Saint Francis supported by spiralling columns. Construction of the present church began in thirteen eighty-three and finished in fourteen ten, replacing a smaller Franciscan church. The great surprise lies inside: during the eighteenth century, Baroque gilded carving spread across the walls, columns, chapels, and ceiling.

That lavish interior sits within a largely unchanged medieval structure. The church became a National Monument in nineteen ten.