The Catholic Church of San Francisco is located in the centre of La Serena. The Church building is a building of the XVI century.

In 1563 in La Serena settled by Franciscan friars. Christopher fry Juan Torrealba Rabaneda built in this place a chapel of Adobe. At the beginning of 1585 fray Francisco Medina and Juan Francisco Roman Barbero began the construction of the present Church building of limestone in the Italian Renaissance style. The thickness of the walls of the building reaches up to 1, 20 m. the Construction was difficult and expensive, since the limestone was brought from Penuelas Alto and from the forests of the Oval. The Church Of St. Francis was the first stone Church in the city of La Serena and was consecrated on Christmas 1627 in the name of our lady of Good Hope.

In the XVII century the town of La Serena suffered from several attacks of corsairs. During the invasion of the town of pirates, under the leadership of Englishman Bartholomew Sharpe in 1680, was destroyed most of the town except the Church of San Francisco. Earthquake 1730, the Church building is virtually intact, except for the roof repair which was completed in 1755. In 1735 the Church was opened a convent and a College for training monks. He worked until the next devastating earthquake 1796, at which part of the tower collapsed, leaving the building of the Church and monastery are not suitable for service. In 1823, the Franciscans were expelled and their property confiscated.

In the first half of the nineteenth century, in connection with the discovery of copper, in the monastery began working Mint Coquimbo, but the project was short-lived. By 1840 the building of the monastery was used as a military barracks. During the fighting at the siege of La Serena in 1851, the tower of the Church was badly damaged. In 1858 the building was once again returned to the monks-Franciscans.

In 1878, the Church underwent several modifications: several floors were demolished, the Church consists of three naves separated by arches, the facade was changed, there are three symmetric entry in the neo-Renaissance style. The renovated Church was opened on 1 October 1899.

In 1913 the tower and stucco facade of the Church was again destroyed during the earthquake. In 1923 he built a new Church tower, this time out of concrete. In 1975, after another strong earthquake, due to the very poor condition of the building had to close the Church. In 1977 opened the front half of the Church for believers, the rest of the building was ongoing restoration work, restoration of the original top of the tower, the walls and ceilings that existed before the mid-nineteenth century. In the sacristy opened a Museum of religious art and Church plate.

The San Francisco Church was declared a national monument of Chile in 1977.