The bell tower of this church, built in 1761 then reconstructed in 1905, stands on the western side of the square, on the spot where the Carmelite chapel (1590-1754) once stood. João VI, who resided in the Paço Imperial close by, decided to make it his royal chapel. A metropolitan cathedral from 1890 to 1980, it lost that status when the Catedral Metropolitana was built.