The Palacio da Bolsa is located beside the St Francis Church of Porto, once part of the St Francis Convent, founded in the 13th century. In 1832 during war,a fire destroyed the cloisters of the convent,sparing the church. In 1841, Queen Mary II donated the convent ruins to the merchants of the city, who decided to build the seat of the Commercial Association. Most of the palace was finished by 1850, but the decoration of the interior was only completed in 1910 and involved many different artists