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São Francisco do Conde is a Brazilian municipality located in the Salvador Metropolitan Region of Bahia.

Between islands, mangroves, the coastline and the Atlantic Rainforest, São Francisco do Conde enchants with its natural exuberance.

Two embarkation points are the starting point for any nautical itinerary on the boat trips that reveal the region’s charms: the pier, on the urban waterfront, and Santo Estevão, a fishing village 32 kilometres from the city centre.

Take the opportunity to visit the municipality’s islands – Cajaíba, Fontes, Pati – and go down to the mouth of the Sergi River or the Subaé River, enjoying the beautiful scenery sculpted by nature.

The history of colonial Brazil is present in São Francisco do Conde, both in its architecture and in the habits of its people.

Folklore performances revive old customs and keep traditional regional culture alive.

The cuisine, especially the fish baked in banana leaves and the cornflour and tapioca porridge, preserves the typical preparations of the Tupinambás and the Caetés Negros, the region’s first inhabitants.

Municipality of São Francisco do Conde

Discover the history of this place, which has a strong colonial influence, and get to know its tourist and historical attractions.

In 1618, by order of the Count of Linhares, a convent and church were built on top of a hill in the Recôncavo Baiano, where the town of São Francisco do Conde would later be founded in 1698.

The name honours the town’s patron saint and Count Fernão Rodrigues, who inherited the land from the 3rd Governor-General of Brazil, Mem de Sá.

The region where the city is located was conquered by the Portuguese Empire in wars fought against the Indians who lived on the banks of the Paraguaçu and Jaguaribe rivers.

São Francisco do Conde, the third municipality in the Recôncavo Baiano, has a great heritage from colonial Brazil.

The city is rich in sobrados, churches and engenhos, built during the Portuguese administration. The imposing architecture is an invitation to take a trip back to the 16th century, reliving an important part of Brazil’s history.

The municipality is in an area that preserves Atlantic Forest reserves and mangroves, essential for the region’s biodiversity.

In the past, the town’s wealth came from sugar cane plantations, which fuelled economic development.

Today, the region’s main economic activities involve oil extraction, refining and processing.

São Francisco do Conde retains the atmosphere of a country town, with its baroque architecture, tranquillity and canoe harbour for fishermen.

The city is also developing and has a modern seafront, bringing a charming visual contrast.

The ethnic diversity that helped build the city culturally is present in everyday life. The imperial palm trees, symbols of the Portuguese administration, and the majestic colonial buildings preserve the memory of the region.

The Tupinambás and Caetés Negros left a rich gastronomy as their legacy, including cornmeal porridge, tapioca, and fish baked in banana leaves.

Fishing techniques and the skills of women shellfish gatherers also emerged with the region’s first inhabitants. São Francisco do Conde has a rich history that is intertwined with the history of Brazil.

The city manages to combine history, culture and the typical tranquillity of the Recôncavo Baiano in one place.

Find out more about the main tourist and historical attractions in the charming city of São Francisco do Conde.

See the map of Todos os Santos Bay

Videos about São Francisco do Conde in Bahia

Tourist attractions in São Francisco do Conde BA

1. Town Hall and Jail (City Hall Building)
2. Convent of St Anthony
3. São Bento das Lajes School
4. Mother Church of São Gonçalo
5. Nossa Senhora do Monte Church
6. Cajaíba Island
7. São Miguel das Almas Mill

1. Town Hall and Jail (City Hall Building)

The Town Hall, located in Praça Independência in the lower part of São Francisco do Conde, is one of the city’s most important historic buildings and currently serves as the headquarters of the Town Hall and the Chamber of Councillors. The nearby pier offers a panoramic view of Cajaíba Island and part of Todos os Santos Bay, highlighting the surrounding natural scenery.

The construction of the Town Hall was financed with the tithes of white gold extracted from the entire Recôncavo Baiano and carried out between 1693 and 1750. At the time, the Portuguese government wanted the building to be a monument symbolising the reconquest of the Northeast from the Dutch, as well as becoming a symbol of Brazilian national unity.

Historically, the ground floor of the building had practical functions, being used as a jail and guard quarters, while the upper floor housed the Senate of the Chamber and the Intendencia, which administered the city’s affairs.

The building preserves important elements of its original construction, including the carpentry, the upholstery and the railings of the balconies on the main façade, which date from the 19th century. Even with some adaptations over time, the Town Hall maintains a harmonious combination of the colonial architecture of past centuries and touches of modernity, which are reflected in its painting, the surroundings and the current administration.

2. St Anthony’s Convent

The Santo Antônio Convent, inaugurated in 1936, was built at the request of the residents of the then future “Villa de São Francisco ’ who wanted a Franciscan convent in the city. This important monument, which includes the Church, the Convent and the Third Order, is located in Arthur Sales Square, in the Historic Centre of São Francisco do Conde, and is recognised as a listed heritage site by IPAC (Artistic and Cultural Heritage Institute of Bahia).

The site houses a valuable artistic collection, made up of sacred pieces, tiles, furniture and other historical objects. In front of the complex, imperial palm trees line the façade, preserving the memory and heritage of Portuguese colonisation.

Behind the monument, a slope covered in tropical vegetation descends steeply towards the bay, creating an imposing natural setting. Over the years, various interventions and restorations have been carried out on the convent, restoring glass, fittings, paintings and roofs, guaranteeing the preservation of this historic treasure.

One of the convent’s greatest highlights, according to art historians, is its cloister – an open arcade that surrounds the inner courtyard, considered one of the most beautiful in Brazil. The convent also has a library that houses unpublished documents, helping to enrich the living history of São Francisco do Conde.

3. São Bento das Lajes School

The São Bento das Lajes School, founded in 1859 by Dom Pedro II, stands out as the first agronomy school in Latin America and one of the most representative examples of neoclassical architecture in Bahia.

Located in São Francisco do Conde, the monumental building impresses with its grandeur, marked by 366 windows, and its history, originally serving as a resting place for Benedictine monks.

Although it is currently in ruins, the restoration of the Agricultural School is one of the main aspirations of the local population, as the building has great historical and architectural value. From the site, you can see a vast area of mangroves, and the building is situated on an elevation above the Subaé River, offering impressive views of the natural landscape.

The church’s architecture shows typical Franciscan features, as can be seen in the doorway, with its cushioned pilasters, a common detail in religious buildings of this period and style.

The church is the centre of celebrations for the patron saint São Gonçalo, whose feast day is held annually on 28 January, bringing together the local community and keeping the religious and cultural tradition of São Francisco do Conde alive.

5. Nossa Senhora do Monte Church

Located on the highest hill in the region, the Nossa Senhora do Monte Church is a highlight that can be seen from afar. However, it’s up close that its grandeur is revealed, with imposing dimensions and a beautiful panorama all around.

The view is one of the most favoured in the Bahian Recôncavo, offering visitors a breathtaking landscape that delights and enchants. The monument is strategically positioned at the end and highest point of a spur (peak of the hill), from where you can see the waters of Todos os Santos Bay.

Access to the church is via a diversion from the road linking Candeias to São Francisco do Conde.

Analysing its floor plan, the windows in the sacristies and the care given to the three side doors, it is a building that marks the transition from the 17th to the 18th century, although it was completed or renovated in the mid-18th century.

6. Cajaíba Island

The Cajaíba sugar mill played a crucial role in the economic development of the city of São Francisco do Conde.

Cajaíba Island is located in a protected area off the northern coast of Brazil, bathed by the warm waters of the South Atlantic. One of its first owners was the Governor-General of Brazil, Mem de Sá.

In addition to its natural beauty, such as a private beach on the back coast, the island is an important stronghold of national history, transporting visitors back to the golden age of the sugar nobility.

The Cajaíba mill was one of the most prosperous in the Recôncavo, contributing significantly to the region’s economic growth.

7. São Miguel das Almas Mill

The mill, now in ruins, was owned by Paulo de Argollo, grandfather of the Baron of Cajaíba.

The remains of the big house and chapel, dating from the 18th century, have been listed as historical heritage, thus preserving an important part of the memory of Bahia’s Recôncavo and its prosperous era.

The economic and industrial origins of São Francisco do Conde BA

The economic and industrial origins of São Francisco do Conde began with the creation of sugar cane mills, the first and main economic activity in colonial Brazil. During this period, Brazil stood out as Portugal’s most profitable colony, exporting its production to Europe.

In this context, the municipality of São Francisco do Conde began to develop within the policy of captaincies and sesmarias, a system from which states such as Bahia, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Sul, Pará, among others, emerged. As the quote says: ‘From the sesmarias, many municipalities. The old settlements became villages, towns and municipal centres.’

Mem de Sá’s sesmaria became São Francisco do Sítio, the fundamental centre for the formation of the municipality of São Francisco do Conde, located on the lands of the Count of Linhares, Fernando de Noronha.

In economic and industrial terms, the old town of São Francisco prospered thanks to sugar cane cultivation. It had more than fifty large sugar mills, many powered by machines, whose names were: Engenho da Vila (Fazenda de São José dos Palmares), Cajaíba, Dom João (transformed into a mill), Vanique (founded by a Dutch emigrant, Baltazar Vanique), Marapé, Macaco das Pedras, Gurgainha (where the Joanes River rises), São Lourenço (also transformed into a mill), Bananeiras, Colônia (today Usina Santa Elisa), Itatingui, Guaiba, d’Água, Monte, Paramirim, Nôvo, and Quicengue.

Gilberto Freyre, in his book ‘Nordeste’, describes the predominant type of soil in the Recôncavo and its characteristics, which favoured the cultivation of sugar monoculture. According to Freyre, massapê is a soil of great resistance and nobility, with depth, ideal for building solid mills, houses and chapels. Freyre says that in these areas of sticky soil, it was possible to found one of the most permanent and plastic tropical civilisations ever seen.

History and Tourism of São Francisco do Conde BA