An artistic style born in Italy at the beginning of the 17th century, Baroque arrived in Brazil almost 100 years later. Our country was experiencing the so-called Gold Cycle, a period in which the discovery of this precious metal in Minas Gerais transformed the region into an important economic center. Precisely for this reason, a good part of the Baroque heritage in Brazil is spread across cities in Minas Gerais, not only in artistic works, such as sculptures, but also in the architecture of several churches erected at that time. The construction of richly ornamented temples with exuberant shapes contrasted with the simplicity of the Renaissance style, which reigned until then. Thus, in Baroque churches, altars and pulpits were extravagantly decorated, covered with spirals, flowers, monsters and little angels with curly hair. As if that were not enough, much of the interior was gold-plated, taking advantage of the abundance of the mineral in the country.
All this opulence and wealth of details can be seen in several churches in Minas. But perhaps none of them symbolizes the characteristics of the Brazilian Baroque as well as the one in São Francisco de Assis, in Ouro Preto (MG). “It is a landmark of style and has an abundance of light and color”, says museologist Maria da Conceição Fernandes Brito, from the Museum of Sacred Art in Ouro Preto. The church – or chapel, as specialists prefer – began to be built in 1776 and was only ready at the beginning of the 19th century. It was designed and ornamented by the greatest Brazilian artist of the period, Antônio Francisco Lisboa.
Popularly called Aleijadinho, because of a muscular atrophy that affected his limbs, he was the son of a Portuguese architect and a slave. In addition to designing buildings, Aleijadinho was also a brilliant sculptor. To overcome his physical disability when it came to making his works, he tied instruments to his hands for carving and trimming blocks of stone. Thanks to the creativity and effort of this talented artist, the chapel of São Francisco de Assis is considered the most beautiful of all Baroque churches in Minas Gerais.
Chapel of São Francisco de Assis, in Ouro Preto, is a style landmark
1. REVOLUTIONARY DESIGN
The main facade and the body of the church have a curvilinear shape, a new feature brought by the Baroque style, as religious temples used to be rectangular until then. The two rounded towers, reminiscent of the shape of a guardhouse, earned the building the nickname “Military Church”.
2. EXTRAVAGANT FACADE
Not all Baroque churches have a façade as elaborate as that of São Francisco de Assis. At the top of the main door, there is an image of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, patroness of the Franciscans. The round medallion a little higher depicts Saint Francis, on his knees, receiving Christ’s wounds.
3. CARVED ALTAR
The interior of Baroque churches has walls and ceiling covered in carved wood. The main altar of São Francisco de Assis, designed by Aleijadinho and painted by Manuel da Costa Athayde, is a good example: behind it, a wooden piece in high relief with a gold finish shows the exuberance of Baroque art.
THE FAMOUS LITTLE ANGELS
Side altars filled with little angels, flowers and thorns are present in almost all churches of this style. In São Francisco de Assis, three altars can be seen on each side of the nave, dedicated to Franciscan saints: Saint Isabel of Hungary, Saint Ivo, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Lucius and Saint Bona, Saint Roque and Saint Rose of Viterbo
HAUNTED SACRISTY
The soapstone washbasin in the sacristy is considered a unique work by Aleijadinho. It portrays a human figure with blindfolded eyes representing the Franciscan qualities: poverty, faith, obedience and chastity. But the sacristy is also famous for the legend that the ghost of a woman in 18th century clothes used to appear there.
BREATHTAKING CEILING
Exquisite paintings can be seen on almost all Baroque temples. The church’s ceiling, also painted by Manuel Athayde, is a masterpiece that took nearly 11 years to complete. The artist showed the ascension of a Our Lady with mulatto features, surrounded by a large flock of angels