Church and Convent of San Francesco [13th–15th–18th; 20th century]

The complex overlooks the eponymous square and the Natisone gorge. In 1285, the Franciscan friars (already present in the city since 1246) moved to this area and in 1296 began constructing their new convent. The current façade of the church dates back to 1495, is the result of works carried out by the friars themselves, who also intervened in 1511 following the damage from that year’s earthquake. In the 18th century, the complex was expanded westward, and the friars resided there until the convent's suppression in 1769. Afterward, both the church and the convent were used as a residence, warehouse, and occupied by the military. Heavily degraded, the complex was restored by the Superintendency in 1946 and again in the late 1980s.
The church’s roof is double-pitched, with a wooden structure and tile covering; the façade is smooth, with exposed stone blocks, defined by a semicircular entrance portal, with a lunette possibly once frescoed, and a large central oculus with a moulded frame. above the portal, the outline of a pointed arch can be seen, with coats of arms and sacred symbols placed on the keystone. Inside, there is a single central nave with three apse chapels and fragments of frescoes by Tuscan and Venetian craftsmen from the 14th to the 16th centuries. The sacristy, integrated into the convent structure along with the cloister, is decorated with frescoes by Giulio Quaglio (1693) and stuccos by Rietti.