Coming to Aracaju, you need to visit the neighboring town -São Cristóvão and its sight Praça São Francisco. Around the square, you can find the most important monuments of history and architecture, such as the church and monastery of San Francisco. Here is the Museum of Religious Art, Museum of History, the palace of the Brazil emperor Dom Pedro II, Casa de Misericórdia. The last one is a beautiful Baroque building and the first hospital in Sergipe of the 17th century. Thus, the ensemble of buildings and squares is a well-preserved pattern of colonial architecture.

Praça São Francisco is an open space of 51 x 73 meters made of stone. It combines colonial Spanish and Portuguese urban construction styles. In 2010, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Previously, São Cristóvão was divided into two parts. These are the lower city, where the port was located, and the upper one on the hill. Praça São Francisco was the center of the upper city with the most important military, administrative, and religious institutions. Besides, that was an observation point of the city and the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

São Cristóvão was signed by the Dutch in 1634 during the invasion of Brazil. Spanish troops, led by Count Bagnoli, were destroying crops and livestock, making the population leave. The Dutch found the abandoned city and destroyed many buildings. But they were expelled from Sergipe in 1645. After that, São Cristóvão became the regional center. People have built administrative buildings around the square, and we can see them today. 

San Francisco Square is an outstanding architectural ensemble preserved as sight and place for cultural events.