Cathedral Basilica of Salvador
Cathedral Basilica of Salvador | |
---|---|
Catedral Basílica de Salvador | |
Catholic | |
Province | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Location | |
Municipality | Salvador |
State | Bahia |
Country | Brazil |
Geographic coordinates | 12°58′22″S 38°30′37″W / 12.972897°S 38.510330°W |
Direction of façade | Northwest |
National Historic Heritage of Brazil | |
Designated | 1938 |
Reference no. | 84 |
The Cathedral Basilica of Salvador (Catedral Basílica de Salvador), officially dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ and named Primatial Cathedral Basilica of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the seat of the
The cathedral is considered one of the finest examples of Mannerism in the Portuguese empire and strongly resembles the Jesuit Church of Coimbra. The façade and other elements of the structure utilize Lioz stone from Portugal. The interior of the cathedral has a large nave, elaborate baroque-style side altars, a sacristy, library, and ossuary.
The Cathedral Basilica of Salvador faces a broad plaza, the Terreiro de Jesus; is flanked by the broad Praça da Sé to the south, and overlooks the Bay of All Saints to the rear. It is a focal point of the Historic Center of Salvador, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[1]
History
The Jesuits arrived in the city in the 1549 and planned a Jesuit college under Father
Dutch occupation
The Dutch, upon their entry into Salvador in 1624, stripped the interior of the Jesuit college of its silverwork and a relic reportedly used by St. Francis Xavier. The Dutch used the Jesuit chapel as a warehouse to store barrels of wine confiscated from the city. Salvador was reoccupied by the Portuguese in 1625, but the church, along with most buildings of the city, were heavily damaged and remained under siege by the Dutch until 1654.[2][3]
Reconstruction of Jesuit complex
The Jesuits gathered to build a fourth church, the present structure, in 1654. The cornerstone of the present structure was laid in 1657 at a grand ceremony and mass. It was attended by Governor-General Jerónimo de Ataíde, the
Expulsion of the Jesuits
The
20th century
The remains of the school of the Jesuits, north of the current structure, burned in 1905. The church became the only remnant of the Jesuit complex. The Jesuit school was replaced by the
Location
The Cathedral Basilica of Salvador is located on the edge of the bluff of the historic center of Salvador. It façade faces west and church doors open to the wide Terreiro de Jesus, a public square. The cathedral looks directly towards the Church of Saint Dominic at the opposite end of the square; the Medical School of Bahia and church Church of Saint Peter of the Clergymen to the north of the square; and 19th-century sobrados at the south of the square. The rear of the church faces the Bay of All Saints and the lower city. The cathedral is connected to the Medical School of Bahia by a corridor. The medical school dates to the early 20th century, and replaced the burned-out school of the Jesuits, once part of the church complex. The southern façade of the cathedral was connected to the Old Cathedral of Salvador until its demolition in 1933. The Praça da Sé, a broad square, was built after the demolition of the cathedral and the south façade of the Cathedral Basilica of Salvador, obscured for many centuries, looks onto the square.
Art and architecture
Façade
The Jesuits built the current church structure in the Mannerist style then fashionable in Portugal. The façade is very similar to contemporary Portuguese churches like the Jesuit Church of Coimbra. The façade is made in light Lioz stone brought from Portugal, a feature also found in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in the lower city of Salvador. The facade is flanked by two short bell towers. It has three portals with statues of Jesuit saints, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier and Francis Borgia. The gable on the upper storey of the façade is flanked by typical Mannerist volutes.[2]
Interior
Inside, the cathedral is a one-
The chapels of the cathedral offer an interesting showcase of altarpiece art from the late 16th through the mid-18th centuries, all decorated with sculptures and paintings. Very rare are two 16th century Renaissance altarpieces that belonged to the previous Jesuit church and were reused in the new building. The altarpiece of the main chapel is a fine example of 17th century Mannerist art. Other chapels have Baroque altarpieces from the mid-18th century. The barrel vault covering the nave of the church is decorated with wooden panels dating from the 18th century. A massive emblem at center displays the Jesuit emblem "IHS". The paintings at the base of the nave are in vivid colors with an Asian design. They were painted by Charles Belleville (1657-1730), a Jesuit who had lived in Macau for ten years prior to his arrival in Bahia.[5]
The Jesuit church lacked a baptistery as it was not a parish church. The baptismal font of the Cathedral Basilica was transferred from the Former See prior to its demolition in 1933 and installed in the Cathedral Basilica.[6]
The façade and floorplan of the Jesuit church of Salvador influenced several other colonial churches in
Sacristy
The sacristy of the church dates to 1694 and faces west towards the Bay of All Saints. The sacristy is called "Brazil's most exquisite".[7] It was described in 1703 in the diary of an anonymous author as having "walls, floors, and a ceiling of jacaranda wood with fine paintings; extraordinary furniture, cabinets and gilded closets; with true perfection of joinery." The sacristy now has three altars and is richly decorated with Baroque-style furniture.[4][2]
The sacristy cabinet dates to the 17th century and has paintings of the life of Jesus on copper panels with an altar at center. The walls are covered in 17th-century Portuguese azulejos. The coffered ceiling of the sacristy has wooden panels painted with Mannerist motifs and portraits of noted members of the Jesuit order.[4][2]
Protected status
The Cathedral of Salvador was listed as a historic structure by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage in 1938. The structure was registered under the Book of Historical Works, Inscription 77 and Book of Fine Arts, fls. 14. The directive is dated May 25, 1938.[8][3]
Access
The cathedral is open to the public and may be visited.
See also
References
- ^ "Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia", World Heritage List, Paris: UNESCO.
- ^ ISBN 9788573341744.
- ^ a b c d "Catedral Basílica de Salvador (Salvador, BA)" (in Portuguese). National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage. 2019. Archived from the original on 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
- ^ a b c d Bresciani, Carlos (2009). "Os edifícios do Colégio dos Jesuítas em Salvador/Bahia ao longo dos anos 1549 a 1760" (PDF). Revista do Instituto Geográfico e Histórico da Bahia. 104: 269-.
- ISBN 9788589309172.
- Wikidata Q90414145
- ^ ISBN 9788560123001.
- ISBN 9788520800577.