The Basilica and Convent of San Francisco () is a Catholic church building located in the Historic Centre of Lima, Peru. The church, together with the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Solitude () and the Church of the Virgin of the Miracle (), forms a religious monumental complex surrounded by Amazonas, Áncash and Lampa streets, as well as Abancay Avenue.

Spanish philologist and scholar Ramón Menéndez Pidal described it as "the largest and noblest monument that the conquest erected in these prodigious lands". The church and convent form part of the Historic Centre of Lima, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991.

History

This set of religious buildings is one of the most important and best architectural centers of the city. It is also one of the most extensive and beautiful legacies of the viceroyalty era, consequently becoming one of the cultural centers of Peru that generates increased interest in visitors. The buildings of the Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, with a Neoclassical façade; the Convent of San Francisco itself, with a Baroque façade, and the Chapel del Milagro, with a Neoclassical façade, make up the monumental complex.

Once Lima was founded on January 18, 1535, by Francisco Pizarro, as is generally known, the plan of the city was drawn up and the lots were distributed. To the Franciscan Order of the Twelve Apostles, one of them next to Santo Domingo was ceded, on which Friar Francisco de la Cruz built a small ramada that he used as a chapel. After a while, Father De la Cruz had to leave, and since there was no other Franciscan in the valley, the lot was abandoned. Pizarro added it then to the one that had been given to the Dominicans and allocated another one for the Franciscans in the place that the Chapel del Milagro occupies today. In 1546, Francisco de Santa Ana arrived in Lima, who after recovering the land managed to build a modest and small church, which was later improved and expanded together with the convent by the Viceroy of Peru Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, Protector of the Order. During the following century, the convent underwent a series of repairs and decorations that ended up turning it into a marvel of art in the colonial era.

File:Basilica of San Francisco Lima 1675 Juan de Benavides.png|Basilica of San Francisco de Lima in 1675 by Juan de Benavides

File:Main cloister of the Basilica of San Francisco Lima 1673 Pedro Nolasco.jpg|Main cloister of the Basilica of San Francisco, painting of 1673 by Pedro Nolasco

File:Basilica of San Francisco 19th century (Lima, Peru).jpg|Basilica of San Francisco in the 19th century

File:Basilica of San Francisco in the early-20th century (Lima, Peru).jpg|Basilica of San Francisco in the early-20th century

</gallery>

Due to ongoing restoration efforts by the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima that target the Historic Centre of Lima, the main square has been closed to the public since August 2022 due to a dispute between the local government and the Franciscan order, who administer the site, stemming from the demolition of a wall that enclosed the area considered by both UNESCO and local authorities as a public space. During these efforts, the crypt of the former Church of Our Lady of Solitude—demolished in 1669—was discovered.

In June 2025, the Constitutional Court of Peru ruled in favour of the Municipality, stating that the barrier—built in 1989—had no patrimonial value and that its removal on February 5, 2022, authorising the continuation of restoration works soon after.

Exterior

thumb|Main facade of Baroque style of the Church of San Francisco.

The facade is in a Liman Baroque style, with grace and monumentality. A rhythmic bossage runs through its walls that in its upper part is adorned by a wooden balustrade.

Interior

The main altar is in a Neoclassical style. The interior also features the catacombs and the museum, the portal, the chapter house and the cloister. Crossing the threshold of its main doorway and to the left side is a memorial plaque of marble, with the emblem of the Holy See, with the following words engraved:

Sacristy

The sacristy of the main temple is one of the current jewels of the Franciscan temple. The works of the sacristy were completed in 1729, highlighting its portal, made in 1729 by the ensign Lucas de Meléndez. Its vault was deteriorated as a result of the 1966 earthquake. It was restored in the 1990s with the help of the Spanish government. It has a chest of drawers made in 1650 of the main cloister, photo of 2011.]]

Vestibule

It is a spacious room with a carved wooden ceiling with baseboards featuring Sevillian azulejos. There are four paintings by famous artists, depicting Catholic saints; in the central part, the main attraction is an 18th-century Rococo-style pavilion, worked in wood and decorated in gold leaf. The pavilion was formerly used for the Corpus Christi festival; in it, a custody of the Cusco School was placed; today there is an image of Christ the Savior in Baroque style from the 18th century, which belongs to the sacristy of the temple.

Main cloister

thumb|left|80px|An [[azulejo dating from 1642 all of them of great execution, harmony of color and great expression in their characters. Like any teacher, Rubens dedicated himself only to making the sketch and his students continued working on it, often limiting themselves to giving the final touches. Also, the way in which a balcony with Mudéjar-style latticework is preserved here, called the "balcony of Pizarro", because it was in the Government Palace. There are other important attractions such as the fact that, at the back of the room, there is an ivory crucifix, which was brought from the city of Manila, Philippines. There is a crypt in the center of the room where the protectors of the Order were buried.

Refectory

thumb|240px|Last Supper by the Belgian Jesuit Diego de la Puente, painting made in 1658. at the refectory.

It is the location that was formerly used for the dining room. In this place is the famous collection of fifteen paintings that represent the Twelve Apostles, Christ the Redeemer, the Virgin Mary and Saint Paul, imposing paintings that belong to the artistic work of the Spanish master Francisco de Zurbarán.]]

Halfway up to the second floor on the woven brick staircase that is on the left hand side is the Mudéjar dome, which, by its finish and dimensions has no comparison on the entire American continent. It was initially built in 1546 and after an earthquake was finally re-built in 1655