São Francisco Square in the Town of São Cristóvão


World Heritage Identification Number: 1272

World Heritage since: 2010

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇧🇷 Brazil

Continent: Americas

UNESCO World Region: Latin America and the Caribbean

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São Francisco Square in the Town of São Cristóvão: A Glimpse into the Architectural and Historical Richness of Northeastern Brazil

The São Francisco Square in the town of São Cristóvão, located in the state of Sergipe, Brazil, stands as a testament to the architectural and historical richness of northeastern Brazil. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, this monumental ensemble offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore the region's past, particularly its ties to the Franciscan Order.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

São Francisco Square, in the town of São Cristovão, is a quadrilateral open space surrounded by substantial early buildings such as São Francisco Church and convent, the Church and Santa Casa da Misericórdia, the Provincial Palace and the associated houses of different historical periods surrounding the Square. This monumental ensemble, together with the surrounding 18th- and 19th- century houses, creates an urban landscape which reflects the history of the town since its origin. The Franciscan complex is an example of the typical architecture of the religious order developed in north-eastern Brazil.

Encyclopedia Record: São Francisco Square

São Francisco Square is a historic plaza in São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil. The square, or praça, is an open space surrounded by Portuguese colonial-period buildings such as the Church and Convent of Santa Cruz, the Misericórdia Hospital and Church, the Provincial Palace and buildings from later periods. The complex is a well-preserved example of both the Spanish colonial and the Portuguese Franciscan architecture of north-eastern Brazil.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 3 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape

Coordinates: -11.0136554428 , -37.2053747585

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Image of São Francisco Square in the Town of São Cristóvão

© E-Sergipe, CC BY-SA 2.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia
260 km — Brazil
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422 km — Brazil
Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves
649 km — Brazil
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649 km — Brazil
Peruaçu River Canyon
883 km — Brazil

Country Information: Brazil

Flag of Brazil

Official Name: Federative Republic of Brazil

Capital: Brasília

Continent: Americas

Population (2024): 211,998,573

Population (2023): 211,140,729

Population (2022): 210,306,415

Land Area: 8,358,140 sq km

Currency: Brazilian real (BRL)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page São Francisco Square in the Town of São Cristóvão are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article São Francisco Square, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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