Location
The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception faces directly northwest onto theHistory
Early history
The present church structure is the third to be built on the site.17th century
The growth of the population of the Cidade Baixa and area near the port of Salvador necessitated the construction of a larger church. Marcos Teixeira de Mendonça (1578-1624), a bishop and resistance leader against the Dutch attacks against Brazil, expanded the structure in 1623. It was renamed Matriz da Nova Freguesia de Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia and was financed by wealthy Portuguese merchants in the area.18th century
The Santíssimo Sacramento da Imaculada Conceição, a fraternal order, decided to completely rebuild the church in 1736. The military engineer Manuel Cardoso de Saldanha planned the church and Manuel Vicente, a master stonemason, supervised its construction. The master bricklayer and architect Eugénio da Mota prepared the ''lioz'' stonework in Portugal and accompanied it to Salvador. The import of ''lioz'' stonework from Portugal for use as architectural elements in Brazil began in the 16th century; it additionally served as19th century
Four Portuguese masons succeeded Da Mota. The completion of the central section and left wing of the church in 1820 marked the end of major construction of the structure. By 1820 the fraternal order had spent 208,234,000 Portuguese réis on the church, making it one of the costliest in Bahia. The massive staircase in ''lioz'' and right wing of the structure were completed in 1850. The church of the Immaculate Conception received the title of minor basilica by the Apostolic Letter "Coruscantis sideris" of the 7 of October 1946, by decision of theStructure
The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception has a monumental façade of lioz, with straight lines and rectangular details. The façade is flanked by two diagonal towers which "give a baroque touch to the design of the church box." The church is noted for its use of natural light: it has a copula above the chancel and faces directly west to utilize light from the Bay of All Saints via numerous doors and windows.Church bells
The basilica has 16 church bells. They served as an alarm system to the entire city of Salvador from the 18th century. The bells fell into disuse by 1990. They were restored and reactivated in 2021, and ring at 12 noon and 6pm. The bells can additionally play hymns for special occasions.Interior
The interior of the church is the first complete example of the Baroque style ofNave ceiling
The ceiling of the nave has a large-scale painting of Our Lady of the Conception. It was painted in the Italianate BaroqueSide chapels
The church has eight side chapels: three along each side of the nave and one at either side of the high altar. The chapel at the right of the higher altar is dedicated to the Holy Christ (''Capela do Santo Cristo''). At the left of the nave, from left to right: *Chapel of Saint Joseph (''Capela de São José'') *Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows (''Capela de Nossa Senhora das Dôres'') *Chapel of Saint John the Baptist (''Capela de São João Batista''), with an image of Our Lady of Fátima below At the right of the nave, from left to right: *Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary (''Capela Nossa Senhora do Rosário''), with an image of Saint Pantaleon below *Chapel of Saint Anthony (''Capela de Santo Antônio''), with an image of Saint Joseph below *Chapel of Saint Benedict (''Capela de Sao Benedito'')Baptismal font
A large-scale baptismal font sits in a niche at the rear of the nave. It is of rare marble of the Arrábida region of Portugal, and is a dark reddish-brown color. The walls of the niche are lined with blue, yellow, and whitePatio
A lateral corridor on the north side of the nave leads to an interior patio with a fountain. The lateral corridor is simple and decorated with azulejos of the 19th century, while the patio and its elements are entirely constructed of ''lioz''. The patio has a staircase leading to the meeting room of the Brotherhood.Protected status
The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception was listed as a historic structure by theAccess
The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is located in the Comercio district near the Lacerda Elevator and Modelo Market and may be visited.See also
*References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Immaculate Conception, Church Basilica churches in Brazil Salvador 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Brazil Historic Center (Salvador, Bahia) National heritage sites of Bahia Portuguese colonial architecture in Brazil Roman Catholic churches completed in 1623 1623 establishments in the Portuguese Empire