Santuário do Senhor Bom Jesus de Matosinhos

The principal attraction of Congonhas and the primary reason for visiting the town is the Santuário (Praça da Basílica, tel. 31/3731-1591, no hours available), situated at the top of the city’s highest peak. Begun in the mid 1700s and completed with its final artistic touches at the end of that century, it consists of three primary elements: the Basílica, the 12 Profetas, and the Capelas dos Passos. The Basílica is the unifying structure of the santuário and the principal church of Congonhas. It rests at the far end of a praça. Its architectural design was inspired by two churches in Portugal. Inside, the church is a perfect example of baroque-turned-rococo style of design but it’s not the interior that will call your attention.

What makes the Basílica church (and the town itself, for that matter) special are the sculptures of Antônio Francisco Lisboa, better known as Aleijadinho, including his grandest of works, the 12 Prophets. Well worth the hike up to the praça, the prophets find themselves arranged at the entrance of the church, casting their ominous glances in all directions. Aleijadinho carved the four major prophets and eight of the 12 minor prophets in soapstone toward the end of his life in the years 1800–1805. Already crippled and unable to walk or hold his sculpting tools, he created the prophets while suffering from a sickness that would take his life only nine years later. Naturally, many of his designs were at this point carried out by his disciples, but experts believe that the four major prophets were rendered by Aleijadinho himself. The 12 Prophets confirm Aleijadinho’s status as a sculptor of international, historical stature.

Slowly, the statues are being restored and debate continues about whether or not to replace the originals with replicas. The deterioration you see in the images is said to be weathering of weak elements in the stone, which will not continue to deteriorate. The largest threat to these works is, unfortunately, vandalism.

The third key element of the Santuário consists of the Capelas dos Passos and accompanying sculptures. In 1796, Aleijadinho and his crew began these 66 separate life-sized works in wood for the six individual chapels positioned in the sanctuary grounds. The six chapels follow the Catholic tradition of the stations of the cross, from the passion of Christ. Together with the 12 Prophets, these works represent the largest collection of baroque statuary in the Americas.