A makeshift structure was originally built on the church’s site by Brother Francisco de Aroca. It was later turned into a chapel, which makes San Francisco one of Sucre’s oldest churches. A new single-nave church was erected in 1581.
The church’s most remarkable features are its five types of Renaissance, Mudejar and baroque coffered ceilings. The main altar and the aisles feature gilded carvings.
The church’s crypt holds the remains of the Spanish conquerors who founded the city.
The two four-sided bell towers were built at the same time as the church. One of them houses the Liberty Bell, cast in 1800. It received its name after May 25, 1809, when it called the people to participate in the social movement, which history recalls as the First Cry for Independence.
