The main altarpiece and the images of Saint Francis and Saint Anthony
The altarpiece arch above the tabernacle, where the Child God is sometimes located, is very simple and is probably one of the oldest in the Rococo style. It is concave, with a column and aedicule on each side, in a variation of a design from other known works of that time. The design of this altarpiece could be by the carver José Pereira Veloso, not only because of its details, but also because he was a witness at the act in which the contract for the altarpiece was signed. However, there are divergent opinions, which state that the altarpiece could have been damaged by the hands of José Álvares de Araújo.
Still on the main altar, on the decorative pedestals called “rocalhas”, two images were placed, brought by the Venerable Third Order of St. Francis, when it took over the church of Recolhimento, from the demolished church of the Thirds, in 1931. These are two images from the 18th or 19th century, which represent: on the gospel side, St. Francis of Assisi and on the epistle side, St. Anthony of Lisbon.
The polychrome sculpture of Saint Francis of Assisi appears on a black rectangular base, with three levels and a blue globe adorned by seven-pointed silver stars. He is presented in capuchin monastic robes adorned with a golden frieze, girded at the waist by a golden cord, which falls almost to his feet. The sleeves are edged in gold and gathered. Right leg slightly bent. In his right hand he holds a skull and in his left a cylindrical crucifix, decorated with cut branches and the image of Christ Crucified. The wounds are marked in red paint in the center of the uncovered feet and hands, stigmata from the vision of Christ Crucified. Face loaded and looking down, but turned slightly to the left. He is portrayed with a forked beard and short, wavy brown hair. Topped with radiance that holds a red stone in the center.
On the side of the epistle, and at the same level, we find a sculpture of Saint Anthony of Lisbon, polychrome and gold. It is a male figure with a boy, in full form, standing in a frontal position. He appears represented with a young face, with short, wavy hair, head tilted slightly to the left, as if preaching. The right arm is raised and with a fleur-de-lis in his hand, the left supports a closed book on which there is a white handkerchief and a naked boy standing with open arms, legs slightly bent, who is staring at him. He is dressed in a brown Franciscan habit, decorated with golden floral and geometric motifs. At the waist is a golden cord that falls slightly and returns to the Boy's hand. On his feet he wears brown sandals and on his head he has a shine of silver.
Framing the altarpiece, there are two composite columns with a smooth shaft decorated with applications of acanthus foliage and shells that, together with the niches, support the attic, with a curved and broken pediment, with sinuous moldings and sculptural elements that converge in a central canopy, creating an important visible focal point.