Iglesia de San Francisco de Asís Church and Religious Art Museum

Discover the Religious Art Museum in Iglesia de San Francisco de Asís Church, Havana

Iglesia de San Francisco de Asís Church, Old Havana

Iglesia de San Francisco de Asís Church
©T.Pan.

The Iglesia San Francisco de Asís Church and Convent are located on the south side of Plaza de San Francisco de Asís Square, in Old Havana, Cuba.

San Francisco de Asís Convent©T.Pan.

Teresa de Calcuta Garden©T.Pan.

The church was built between 1548 and 1591, although after several reforms and structural remodelling it was finished almost two hundred years later, in 1538. The Basilica Menor del Convento has nowadays become a well-known concert hall, thanks to its wonderful acoustics; along with the church, the convent also houses the Religious Art Museum, where several paintings, silver items, carvings, religious pottery pieces, and archaeological objects are exhibited. Some of them date back to the end of the 17th century.

In front of its façade, on Calle Oficios, there are three stone statues representing the Immaculate Conception, San Francisco de Asís and Santo Domingo de Guzmán. The building, a great sample of the Cuban baroque coming from the colonial time, is composed by three ships supported by twelve columns, which represent the twelve apostles.

In the halls and galleries of the convent there are several temporary Cuban and foreign works on display, but they are also used as a scene for conferences, presentations, or other national and international events.

Among the collection of objects housed in the museum, archaeological pieces, gold and silver work and paintings from different parts of Latin America stand out. Sacred art is also strongly linked to this architectural work. Especially of religious cult, the Museo de Arte Sacro (Museum of Sacred Art) that lodges the Convento de San Francisco de Asís (Convent of San Francisco de Asís), shows archaeological, handcrafted pieces, furniture, textiles and a precious collection of tableware with religious motives, found in excavations coming from the Historical Center of the Villa of the Havana.

The church has a beautiful garden honoring Mother Teresa of Calcutta where you’ll find sculptures from several contemporary artists.

More information:

Location:

Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco de Asís, La Habana, Cuba.

Ticket price:

2 CUC per person without guide and 3 CUC per person with guide.

Opening hours:

From 9:00am to 6:00pm.

Interactive map:

What to see in Old Havana

Other nearby destinations:

Why "Trip Cuba"?

Trip Cuba is an organization of Cuban agencies whose objectives are:

✓ To make Cuba, its culture and its heritage known.
✓ To promote sustainable tourism.
✓ To support the local economy, prioritizing direct contact with Cuban agencies.

Ask for your estimate

Travel Agencies

If you are a travel agency or tour operator and you are looking forward to any assistance or collaboration to plan trips to Cuba, rely on our extensive experience

Special prices for Travel Agencies and Tour Operators