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A stone that, for centuries, was at the entrance to this convent indicated that the first friars arrived in 1275, during the reign of King Sancho II. The convent then built didn’t arrived intact to the present day. Indeed, the impact of the works of modern times was such that very little remains from the original. However, at the head, the two apses still have the early setting, and outside the central nave we can still see some Gothic windows.

With the extinction of the religious orders in Portugal, the convent became a ruin, and was after adapted to barracks being the church open for worship until 1910, when, it too, was abandoned. Currently, the former convent church is part of the Robinson Museum.

In 2008, the church structures and several architectural and decorative elements that include technical and arts ranging from the 13th to the 20 th centuries were restored.

From the 16th century (1570-75), is the coverage of the crossing with a arched roof with a complex design and the chapel with the Knight's Tomb Gaspar Fragoso, with a lying statue, wearing armor with helmet and having his feet on a lion. Note the Morgadio of Fragoso was the oldest of Portalegre.

In the 17th century, the original chapel was completely replaced with a new altarpiece in marble and were placed figurative tile panels depicting scenes from St. Francis of Assisi's life. From this period are also two painted altarpieces of the transition from Mannerism to the first Portuguese Baroque Altars.

However, on part of the convent fence was installed a cork factory, later sold to the English merchant Georges Williams Robinson, then getting around the Robinson cork factory, which in 1941 was bought by Portuguese. In Phase 1, the areas corresponding to the old library and the convent refectory, upon which rose the first two factory buildings were used. However, the building for the production of corks was built from scratch.

To the patrimonial importance of the structures of the industrial complex, those from the former convent and the ones built for the factory only, must be added the importance of the equipment currently in situ (e. g. on the original location), which includes a line with 12 autoclaves for cooking the black cork agglomerate, associated with power and steam systems installed yet in the 1st half of the twentieth century. A mention to the dwellings of workers and owners, as well as a nursery, resulting from social concerns of those days.

The set formed by the Church and the San Francisco Convent and Robinson Cork Factory, classified as CIP - Set of public interest, it is essential to contextualize the religious, cultural, economic, social and urban planning that characterized Portalegre on the 2^nd half of the 20^th century . Note the factory gave work for thousands of people from Portalegre city.

Currently, the old church is part of the Nuclei of the Church of the Convent of St. Francis of the Robinson Museum, and there is installed a sacred art collection, gathered by Rui Sequeira with over 7,000 pieces from different times (16^th to 20^th centuries), materials and techniques.