Garden of the Church of Saint Francis

Category: Nature > Garden

District: Faro > Tavira > Tavira

Location:

Located in Tavira, in the parish of Santiago, the Garden of the Church of São Francisco is situated between Praça Zacarias Guerreiro and Rua Francisco de Sá Carneiro. Set in a quiet residential area, the space offers a serene and tree-lined environment, next to the Church of São Francisco, which marks the garden's eastern boundary.

Historical Context

The garden occupies part of the former enclosure of the Convent of São Francisco, founded in the 13th century and associated with the Franciscan presence in Tavira. After the extinction of religious orders in the 19th century, the space was used as a cemetery until the early 20th century. Only in the mid-1950s did it gain the function of a public garden, still preserving traces of the old convent, such as two Gothic chapels.

Layout and Atmosphere

With a simple geometric layout, the garden is traversed by a gravel path and punctuated by shaded areas created by trees such as the rubber fig, cypresses, and the Mexican fan palm. The vegetation is varied, with floral and shrub species contributing to the space's chromatic and sensory diversity.

Points of Interest

The two remaining chapels from the old convent are the main architectural elements of the garden. With Gothic arches and rib vaults, they preserve decorative details that testify to the history of the site. Also scattered throughout the space are coats of arms and epigraphs carved in stone, linked to noble families of the region.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt