Church of San Francisco, Bogotá

The Church of San Francisco is the oldest surviving church in Bogotá, built by the Franciscan order in the sixteenth century in the historic centre. Its plain exterior conceals a spectacular gilded main altarpiece, one of the finest examples of colonial religious carving in the country, glowing against the dim interior. Located on a busy avenue beside a small plaza, the church has long been a favourite for city weddings. Its survival through earthquakes and urban change makes it an important link to the earliest years of the Spanish city.