The Church of Our Lady of the Conception of the Military () is an 18th-century

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church in

Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...

Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It is located on Rua Nova in the historic center of Recife and is under the administration of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Olinda e Recife The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Olinda and Recife () is a Latin metropolitan archdiocese in northeast Brazil's Pernambuco state. Special churches * Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is a World Heritage Site (Minor): Holy Saviour of the World Ca ...

. The church was listed as a historic structure by the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute in 1941.

History

The Recife Infantry Regiment (''Terço da Vila de Santo Antônio do Recife''), which included officers, sergeants and squares of the Corps of Execution and Cavalry, organized a Brotherhood of Our Lady of the Conception of the Military in the early 18th century. Under the command of João Lobo de Lacerda they requested permission to construct a church dedicated to Our Lady of the Conception on March 19, 1725. Some evidence dates to the beginning of construction of the church to 1710. It was completed in 1771. Construction of the church was authorized by Antônio Fernandes de Matos. It features a simple, severe

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

, in contrast to its richly decorated interior. The structures lacks a churchyard. It is constructed of heavy stonework, a single tower, and

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

pediment. The interior walls are richly decorated with

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

carving. The vault of the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

is notably complex. It consists of a crossed arch with two side altars as typical of the period of King João V. The ceiling of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

is a style associated with Nicolau Nasoni and André Soares, a sculptor, of northern Portugal. The length of the nave has a carved

veranda A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front an ...

; it is the only example of this type of construction in Recife. The ceiling of the name is richly painted with themes associated with the life of the Virgin Mary. The paintings of the church depict elements atypical and possibly prohibited by the Church of the period, including ''

homunculus A homunculus ( , , ; "little person", : homunculi , , ) is a small human being. Popularized in 16th-century alchemy and 19th-century fiction, it has historically referred to the creation of a miniature, fully formed human. The concept has root ...

'' of Jesus Christ on the breast of the Virgin Mary. A painting depicting the Battle of Guararapes is located in the lower choir. It was commissioned by Governor José César de Meneses, and attributed to João de Deus Sepúlveda. The central painting of the Virgin is attributed to José Rabelo Gonçalves. The church remains under the management of the Brotherhood of Our Lady of the Conception of the Military.

Protected status

The Church of Our Lady of the Conception of the Military was listed as a historic structure by the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute in 1941. The heritage designation includes both the church and the Summer Palace of the Archbishop. The structures were registered under the Book of Historical Works, Inscription 4-T and Book of Fine Arts, Inscription fl 53. Both directives are dated September 25, 1941.

Access

The church is open to the public and may be visited.

References

{{Authority control Roman Catholic churches in Pernambuco 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Brazil National heritage sites of Pernambuco Portuguese colonial architecture in Brazil 1709 establishments in the Portuguese Empire Religious buildings and structures in Recife Roman Catholic churches completed in 1771