Site map of the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos

The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos ( pt, Santuário do Bom Jesus de Matosinhos) is an 18th-century

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 letter ...

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

Congonhas Congonhas (Congonhas do Campo until 1948) is a historical Brazilian city located in the state of Minas Gerais. It is situated south from Belo Horizonte, the capital of state of Minas Gerais, by the highway BR-040. As of 2020, the city had a popul ...

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literall ...

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 ...

. It was designed in the Baroque style with an Italian-inspired

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

interior. The basilica is noted for its grand outdoor stairway with statues of Old Testament prophets. The interior has seven side chapels which illustrate the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The stations grew out of imita ...

; each has a

polychrome sculpture Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors. Ancient Egypt Colossal statu ...

made by the artist Aleijadinho (b. 1730 or 1738 – 1814) and his assistants. They are considered masterpieces of an original, moving, and expressive form of Baroque art. The basilica was listed as a historic structure by the

National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage The National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (, IPHAN) is a heritage register of the federal government of Brazil. It is responsible for the preservation of buildings, monuments, structures, objects and sites, as well as the register and ...

(IPHAN) in 1939, and designated at It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

Location

The sanctuary is located on top of the Morro do Maranhão, a bluff that is part of the Serra do Ouro Branco. It is approached by steep, cobbled streets of the historic center of Congonhas.

Bom Jesus de Matosinhos

The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos is dedicated to Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, an invocation of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

related to a

polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors. Ancient Egypt Colossal statue ...

wood sculpture. This sculpture is displayed in Matosinhos, Portugal. People believe that it was created by

Nicodemus Nicodemus (; grc-gre, Νικόδημος, Nikódēmos) was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin mentioned in three places in the Gospel of John: * He first visits Jesus one night to discuss Jesus' teachings (). * The second time Nicodemu ...

who knew Jesus in his lifetime. The sculpture was said to be a perfect likeness of Jesus and it is the first depiction of

that arrived in Portugal.

History

The sanctuary was commissioned by Feliciano Mendes. Mendes made a promise to the Bom Jesus de Matosinhos after he recovered from a grave illness in 1757. When Mendes died in 1765, religious services started to be offered by the sanctuary. The sculpture of Bom Jesus at

Congonhas do Campo Congonhas (Congonhas do Campo until 1948) is a historical Brazilian city located in the state of Minas Gerais. It is situated south from Belo Horizonte, the capital of state of Minas Gerais, by the highway BR-040. As of 2020, the city had a pop ...

is seen as a powerful vehicle of intercession. It was believed that prayers uttered in front of the sculpture have a good chance of being answered, and it became a famous pilgrimage site with to which people travelled to ask Jesus for help and assistance.

Structure

The plan of the church follows the Portuguese colonial baroque model, and is described as "the largest and most notable architectural and artistic ensemble in the country" by Maria Elisa Carrazzoni. It has a rectangular floor plan, a single nave, a

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...

over the entrance, and a

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

separated from the nave by a monumental arch. Corridors around the chancel lead to a sacristy at the rear. The façade is also typical of the period, with a central block for the body of the church. A single entrance is adorned with a carved stone frame. The art historian Germain Bazin attributes the design of the elaborate frontispiece to Aleijadinho. The interior is richly decorated in the Rococo style, consisting of gilded carvings on the altars, statuary, and paintings on the ceilings and walls. The altars of the chancel arch were completed between 1765 and 1769 by Jerônimo Felix Teixeira. They were completed in 1772 by Manuel Rodrigues Coelho, and then gilded and painted by

João Carvalhais João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below. Kings * Jo ...

(altar of Saint Anthony) and

Bernardo Pires da Silva Bernardo is a given name and less frequently an Italian, Portuguese and Spanish surname. Possibly from the Germanic "Bernhard". Given name People * Bernardo the Japanese (died 1557), early Japanese Christian convert and disciple of Saint Franc ...

(altar of Saint Francis de Paula).

João Antunes de Carvalho João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below. Kings * Jo ...

completed the high altar between 1769 and 1775.

Francisco Vieira Servas Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father of ...

sculpted two large torch-bearing angels that decorate the chancel in 1778. The four reliquaries are the work of Aleijadinho's workshop, and were painted by

Mestre Ataíde Mestre () is a borough of the ''comune'' (municipality) of Venice, on the mainland opposite the historical island city in the region of Veneto, Italy. Administratively, Mestre forms (together with the nearby Carpenedo) the ''Municipalità di ...

. The painting of the chancel ceiling was carried out between 1773 and 1774 by

; it depicts the burial of Jesus.

Protection and management requirements

Since the sanctuary was designated an historical site in 1939, the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional – IPHAN) has worked to protect and conserve it. They aim to preserve the cultural property's significance and the values attributed to the sanctuary.

Room of Miracles

On January 29, 1981, the Room of Miracles was considered a federal heritage site by IPHAN. This is an offering room where devotees donate objects to say thanks for the blessings that they received through Bom Jesus's intercession.

References

External links

Explore the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas in the UNESCO collection on Google Arts and Culture
{{Coord, -20.5082, -43.8608, type:landmark_region:BR, display=title World Heritage Sites in Brazil Roman Catholic churches in Minas Gerais