The Cathedral of Saint Peter of Alcantara ( pt, Catedral de São Pedro de Alcântara), also known as the Cathedral of Petrópolis, is a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
in
Petrópolis
Petrópolis (; ), also known as The Imperial City, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. It is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, northeast of the ci ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, dedicated to the city's
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
,
Peter of Alcantara
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
. The cathedral is also the final resting place of the last
Emperor of Brazil
The monarchs of Brazil (Portuguese: ''monarcas do Brasil'') were the imperial heads of state and hereditary rulers of Brazil from the House of Braganza that reigned from the creation of the Brazilian monarchy in 1815 as a constituent kingdom of ...
,
Dom Pedro II
Don (honorific), Dom PedroII (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimity, Magnanimous" ( pt, O Magnânimo), was the List of monarchs of Brazil, second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. ...
, and his family.
The construction on the
Gothic Revival style
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
church began in 1884, and was completed in 1925. The
church tower was built in 1969.
History
Originally, the
mother church
Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metro ...
of Petrópolis was a modest building located in front of the
Imperial Palace but the construction of a new one on the same site was proposed in the urbanization plan of Petrópolis, dated 1843, produced by Major Júlio Frederico Koeler.
![Catedral de Petrópolis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Catedral_de_Petr%C3%B3polis.jpg)
In the 1870s the construction of the new church was reconsidered, thanks to the interest of Emperor Pedro II and his daughter,
Isabel, Princess Imperial. In 1871 the construction of a new Matrix was officially sanctioned but it would be slow to materialize. In 1876 the Italian architect Federico Roncetti presented a plan in
Renaissance Revival architecture
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
that was refused.
The current building of the cathedral only began in 1884. The project was commissioned from the
Bahia
Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...
n engineer and architect Francisco Caminhoá, who designed a Neo-Gothic style building, very fashionable at the time, especially inspired by the old cathedrals of northern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. The work was carried out by the contractor Manuel Pereira Jerônimo, son of one of the first families to settle in the city, coming from Pico Island in the
Azores
)
, motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace")
, anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores")
, image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg
, map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union
, map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
.
The construction of the cathedral did not stop after the
Proclamation of the Republic and continued until 1901 when the works enter a period of paralysis. Under the command of engineer Heitor da Silva Costa the work entered into a second phase of intense activity in 1918. Finally, on 29 November 1925, the new Cathedral of Petrópolis was inaugurated after 37 years of work. The building, however, was not complete, lacking the main façade and the tower, and much of the interior decoration. The works of the façade only began in 1929 and reached rosette level in the 1930s. The tower was built between 1960 and 1969.
![Cathedral of Petrópolis, Brazil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Cathedral_of_Petr%C3%B3polis%2C_Brazil.jpg)
In 1920 the decree banning the
Brazilian Imperial Family
The Brazilian Imperial Family (Brazilian Portuguese: ''Família Imperial Brasileira'') is a Brazilian Dynasty of Portuguese origin that ruled the Empire of Brazil from 1822 in Brazil, 1822 to 1889 in Brazil, 1889, after the proclamation of indepe ...
was annulled and in 1921 the remains of Emperor Pedro II and his wife,
Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies
Dona Teresa Cristina (14 March 182228 December 1889), nicknamed "the Mother of the Brazilians", was the Empress consort of Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil, who reigned from 1831 to 1889. Born a Princess of the Kingdom of the Two Sici ...
, were brought from the
Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a cit ...
in
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
to
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
, where they were housed in the
old Metropolitan Cathedral. In 1925 the remains were transferred to the sacristy of the Cathedral of Petrópolis. Finally, on 5 December 1939, President
Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1954. Due to his long and controversial tenure as Brazi ...
and other authorities inaugurated the Imperial Mausoleum, where the Emperor and Empress were finally transferred. In 1971 Princess Isabel and her husband,
Gaston, Count of Eu
Prince Gaston of Orleans, Count of Eu (french: link=no, Louis Philippe Marie Ferdinand Gaston; 28 April 1842 – 28 August 1922) was a French prince and military commander who fought in the Spanish-Moroccan War and the Paraguayan War. He was ...
were buried in the mausoleum.
Description
![Petropolis-Cathedral7](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Petropolis-Cathedral7.jpg)
The Cathedral of Petrópolis is a
Neo-Gothic church of
Latin cross
A Latin cross or ''crux immissa'' is a type of cross in which the vertical beam sticks above the crossbeam, with the three upper arms either equally long or with the vertical topmost arm shorter than the two horizontal arms, and always with a mu ...
with little pronounced
transept
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...
and three naves. The headboard has an ambulatory connected with the main chapel. The cathedral measures 70 meters in length and 22 meters wide, with a height of 19 meters on the naves.
The main façade of the church has a portal with multiple
archivolts
An archivolt (or voussure) is an ornamental moulding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch.
It is composed of bands of ornamental mouldings (or other architectural elements) surrounding an arched opening, corresponding to the ...
in the form of pointed arches. In the place of the tympanum there is a Calvary (Crucified Christ, the Virgin and Joseph of Arimathea), and in the upper part of the façade are statues of the four evangelists (
St. Mark,
St. Luke
Luke the Evangelist (Latin: '' Lucas''; grc, Λουκᾶς, '' Loukâs''; he, לוקאס, ''Lūqās''; arc, /ܠܘܩܐ לוקא, ''Lūqā’; Ge'ez: ሉቃስ'') is one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of t ...
,
St. John and
St. Matthew
Matthew the Apostle,, shortened to ''Matti'' (whence ar, مَتَّى, Mattā), meaning "Gift of YHWH"; arc, , Mattai; grc-koi, Μαθθαῖος, ''Maththaîos'' or , ''Matthaîos''; cop, ⲙⲁⲧⲑⲉⲟⲥ, Mattheos; la, Matthaeus a ...
). All these sculptures are authored by Adam Bordignon (c.1935). The façade also contains a rose window.
The tower, the most recent element of the church (1960s), rises 70 meters above the ground and contains a chime of five cast bronze bells in Passau, Germany weighing nine tons.
Inside, the spaces are divided by typically pointed Gothic arches. On the right side of the entrance is the Imperial Mausoleum and on the left side the baptistery, with the baptismal font of the former matrix of Petrópolis (1848). The choir of the church has a main altar made of Portuguese Lioz Limestone. In the ambulatory there is a huge statue of the patron of the cathedral and monarchy, St. Peter of Alcantara, carved in Carrara marble by Frenchman Jean Magrou (c.1925). The stained-glass windows of the ambulatory and nave date mostly from the 1930s.
The cathedral has an important organ, manufactured in Rio de Janeiro and installed in 1937 by Guillermo Berner.
Imperial Mausoleum
![Petropolis-Cathedral4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Petropolis-Cathedral4.jpg)
The church houses the Imperial Mausoleum, which is a small chapel situated to the right of the churchyard of the cathedral. The main tombs were carved in Carrara marble circa 1925 by French sculptor Jean Magrou, author of the
gisant
A tomb effigy, usually a recumbent effigy or, in French, ''gisant'' (French, "lying"), is a sculpted figure on a tomb monument depicting in effigy the deceased. These compositions were developed in Western Europe in the Middle Ages, and ...
s, and by Brazilian Hildegardo Leão Veloso, author of the reliefs on the sides.
The other tombs were carved by Brazilian Humberto Cozzo. The windows of the chapel have colorful stained glass windows with poems written by Pedro II during his exile, in which the Emperor reveals his longing for his native country. The altar of the chapel, carved in marble and with a granite cross from
Tijuca
Tijuca () (meaning marsh or swamp in the Tupi language, from ''ty'' ("water") and ''îuk'' ("rotten")) is a neighbourhood of the Northern Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It comprises the region of Saens Peña and Afonso Pena squar ...
, contains relics of the saints
Saint Magnus,
Saint Aurelia and
Saint Tecla, brought from
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
.
Among the members of the
Brazilian Imperial Family
The Brazilian Imperial Family (Brazilian Portuguese: ''Família Imperial Brasileira'') is a Brazilian Dynasty of Portuguese origin that ruled the Empire of Brazil from 1822 in Brazil, 1822 to 1889 in Brazil, 1889, after the proclamation of indepe ...
buried in the Imperial Mausoleum since its inauguration in 1939 are:
#
Emperor Pedro II
Dom PedroII (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimous" ( pt, O Magnânimo), was the second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, the seventh child of Empe ...
(1825–1891) the last Emperor of Brazil
#
Empress Teresa Cristina
Dona Teresa Cristina (14 March 182228 December 1889), nicknamed "the Mother of the Brazilians", was the Empress consort of Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil, who reigned from 1831 to 1889. Born a Princess of the Kingdom of the Two Sicil ...
(1822–1889) wife of the above
#
Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil
, house = Braganza
, father = Pedro II of Brazil
, mother = Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Palace of São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
, death_date =
, death_place = C ...
(1846–1921) Pedro II's heiress
#
Prince Gaston, Count of Eu
Prince Gaston of Orleans, Count of Eu (french: link=no, Louis Philippe Marie Ferdinand Gaston; 28 April 1842 – 28 August 1922) was a French prince and military commander who fought in the Spanish-Moroccan War and the Paraguayan War. He was ...
(1842–1922) husband of the above
#
Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará
'' Dom'' Pedro de Alcântara of Orléans-Braganza, Prince of Grão Pará (15 October 1875 – 29 January 1940) was the first-born son of '' Dona'' Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil and Prince Gaston of Orléans, Count of Eu, and as such, wa ...
(1875–1940) Isabel's oldest son
#
Countess Elisabeth Dobržensky de Dobrženicz
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
(1875–1951) wife of the above
Gallery
Image:Petropolis-Cathedral8.jpg, Upper facade
Image:Petropolis-Cathedral2.jpg, Lower facade, with Gothic revival portal
Image:Catedral koeler.jpg, Side view
Image:0000 Altar.JPG, Gothic revival choir of the Cathedral
Image:Petropolis-Cathedral5.jpg, Stained glass in the Imperial Mausoleum
Image:Pétropolis Sao Pedro de Alcantara vitrail (1).jpg, Jesus in the house of Martha and Mary on stained glass windows
Image:Stained glass window of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary in cathedral of Sao Pedro de Alcantara.jpg, Stained glass window of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary in the cathedral
Image:Mausoléu imperial.jpg, Side view of the tomb of Pedro II and Teresa Cristina
Image:Petropolis-Cathedral1.jpg, Tombs of Pedro II and Teresa Cristina (center), Princess Isabel (left), and Prince Gaston (right)
Image:Petrópolis Cathedral.jpg, Cathedral of Petrópolis from the outside
Image:Petropolis-Cathedral6.jpg, Petrópolis Cathedral façade
A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'.
In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...
with bell tower
See also
*
*
*
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cathedral of Petropolis
Buildings and structures in Petrópolis
Religious buildings and structures in Rio de Janeiro (state)
Petrópolis
Petrópolis (; ), also known as The Imperial City, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. It is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, northeast of the ci ...
Mausoleums in Brazil
Petrópolis
Petrópolis (; ), also known as The Imperial City, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. It is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, northeast of the ci ...
1925 establishments in Brazil
Gothic Revival church buildings in Brazil
Burial sites of the House of Braganza
20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Brazil