Museu Vivo do Franciscanismo

The Old Franciscan Convent of Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe, known has either São Francisco or Frade's church. Its construction began in 1612 and ended in 1626. It is told that whenever this image was stolen and moved by some unknown people during the night to a different location, by morning it was back again to its original place. That was the place where it wanted to be.

In 1660 the image of Santo Cristo dos Terceiros is placed in the lateral chapel. The first image was taken by pirates, the second surrounded by legends: his destination being a convent in Ponta Delgada, after landed on Santa Iria's harbour, the oxen refused to pass the convent in Ribeira Grande. It was a sign that the image wanted to remain there. The thrut is that the image was always meant to be in that convent. Thus it was brought by people in procession directly from the ship to the convent.

Afetr 1830, when religious orders were banned in Portugal, the Santa Casa da Misericórdia's hospital was transferred to this copnvent. Today, this space harbours the lLve Franciscano Museum. This museological structure is known as center of study and interpretation od Franciscans in Azores. It also organizes annually the Senhor Santo Cisto dos Terceiros's procession (first of Lent Sunday).