The church is tucked away off the main streets
In the 14th century, Chiesa di San Francesco was consecrated as part of a monastery. The entire compound was built over a 13th-century church that had been founded by wandering Franciscans.
A unique feature: a wooden ceiling
The building we see today was renovated in the 16th century with stones from nearby Castello Visconteo.
Populated side chapel
The interior is decorated with symbols representing the emblems of the Locarno caste system: eagles for the nobles, beef for the bourgeoisie and lamb for the landlords.
Interior’s enticing architecture
Granite columns line the three naves and the side chapels house marble altars and frescoes by Baldassare Orelli, partriarch of Locarno’s family of well-known painters.
The adjacent convent was transformed into a cantonal lecture institute in the 19th century.
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