The Catholic church of San Francisco is located in the center of La Serena. The church is the structure of the end of the XVI century.

In 1563, in La Serena settled Franciscan monks. Christopher Fray Juan Torrealba Ravaneda built in this place a chapel of adobe. At the beginning of 1585 Fray Francisco Medina and Juan Francisco Roman Carbury we began construction of the current church building of limestone in Italian Renaissance style. The thickness of the walls of the building reached 1, 20 m. The construction was difficult and expensive, as the limestone brought from Penyulas Alto and from forests Oval. Church of St. Francis was the first stone church of La Serena and was consecrated on Christmas Day 1627 in the name of Our Lady of Good Hope.

In the XVII century the city of La Serena has suffered a number of attacks by corsairs. During the invasion of the city of pirates led by Englishman Bartholomew Sharpe in 1680, it was destroyed most of the city in addition to the Church of San Francisco. An earthquake in 1730 the church building almost was not damaged, except for the roof, renovation of which was completed only in 1755. In 1735 the church was opened a monastery and a college for training monks. He worked until the next devastating earthquake of 1796, in which part of the tower collapsed, leaving the building of the church and monastery are not suitable for the service. In 1823, the Franciscans were expelled and their property confiscated.

In the first half of the XIX century, in connection with the discovery of copper mining in the monastery began working Mint Coquimbo, but this project was short-lived. By 1840 the structure of the monastery was used as a military barracks. During the fighting at the siege of La Serena in 1851, the church tower was heavily damaged. In 1858 the building was again restored Franciscan monks.

In 1878, the church has undergone several modifications: several floors were demolished, the church began to be composed of three naves separated by arcades, the facade was changed, there were three balanced inputs in the Neo-Renaissance style. The renovated church was opened Oct. 1, 1899.

In 1913, the tower and stucco facade of the church was again destroyed during the quake. In 1923 he built a new church tower, this time made of reinforced concrete. In 1975, after a strong earthquake, because of the very poor condition of the building had to close the church. In 1977 he opened the front half of the church for the faithful in the rest of the building continued to be carried out restoration work on the restoration of the original top of the tower, the walls and ceilings, which existed until the middle of the XIX century. In the sacristy it opened a museum of religious art and church plate.

Church of San Francisco, has been declared a national monument of Chile in 1977.