This basilica was founded in 1606 as the Jesuit 'base camp' in Bolivia and is now a national monument. The 16th-century convent library and archives, which may be reminiscent of The Name of the Rose, can be used only by researchers who have been granted permission by the Franciscan order; it holds an important archive of baroque music compositions. Inside the basilica, the free Museo Franciscano Fray Francisco Miguel Mari displays ecumenical paintings, sculptures and artifacts.
Every April, in the middle of the month, a baroque music festival is held here (part of a larger fiesta in Santa Cruz). Pedro Ximenez Abril y Tirado's Sinfonía 16 was performed for the first time in 200 years at the 2018 event.
