Integrated into the complex of buildings that make up the Conjunto Franciscano de Recife (Igreja Conventual de Santo Antônio, Igreja de São Francisco e Capela Dourada), the building that houses the Museu Franciscano de Arte Sacra was erected in 1697 by the master mason Antônio Fernandes de Matos; however, the museum itself was only established and inaugurated in 1974 by Fernando Pio dos Santos. The museum, in the Baroque style, is dedicated to the preservation of liturgical objects and sacred art.