Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos

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Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos
Santuário do Bom Jesus de Matosinhos
Catholic
Rite	Roman Rite
Ownership	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mariana
Location
Municipality	Congonhas
State	Minas Gerais
Country	Brazil
Location of the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos in Brazil
Geographic coordinates	20°30′28″S 43°51′38″W / 20.507778°S 43.860694°W / -20.507778; -43.860694
Architecture
Style	Baroque
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name: Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas
Criteria	Cultural: (i)(iv)
Designated	1985 (9th session)
Reference no.	334
Buffer zone	8.77 ha (21.7 acres)
National Historic Heritage of Brazil
Designated	1939

The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos (

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.^[3]

Bom Jesus de Matosinhos

The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos is dedicated to Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, an invocation of Jesus related to a polychrome wood sculpture. This sculpture is displayed in Matosinhos, Portugal. People believe that it was created by Nicodemus who knew Jesus in his lifetime. The sculpture was said to be a perfect likeness of Jesus and it is the first depiction of Jesus that arrived in Portugal.^[4]

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.^[4] The sculpture of Bom Jesus at Congonhas do Campo 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.^[4]

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.^[5] It has a rectangular floor plan, a single nave, a choir over the entrance, and a chancel 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.^[5][3]

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

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.[1]

References

 This article incorporates text by UNESCO available under the CC BY 3.0 license.

External links

• Explore the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas in the UNESCO collection on Google Arts and Culture

20°30′30″S 43°51′39″W / 20.5082°S 43.8608°W / -20.5082; -43.8608