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The Sistine Chapel of São Paulo

Nissan Senhora do Brasil, Our Lady of Brazil Church, São Paulo, Brazil
Amazing is an overused word but this church, Nossa Senhora do Brasil, is amazing. I didn’t know much about it except for the mention of its beautiful tiles on a blogpost that I read. Yes the tiles are indeed stunning but the ceiling is what really captivated me. 

Sistine Chapel frescoes at Our Lady of Brazil, São Paulo
Upon entering the main door of the Church, this ceiling is what greets you. It is a replica of the iconic Creation of Adam by Michelangelo which can be found in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

Antonio Paim Vieira, a painter and ceramicist, was in charge of the interior decoration of the Church. He painted the starry sky above the Madonna and Child on the ceiling of the main altar surrounded by Brazilians from various parts of the country dressed in their native costumes. (See below)

This gilded and carved wooden altar is from the Church of Sant’Anna de Mogi das Cruzes (an hour northeast of São Paulo).  The statue of the Virgin and Child on the altar has a fascinating story surrounding its origin. A wooden statue was carved by indigenous artists at the request of the Jesuit priest, Father Jose Anchieta, prior to 1597. She was called Our Lady with the Divine Hearts as she and the Child Jesus both had a heart on their chest. The statue was placed in one of the Jesuit churches in rural Iriritiba where she was widely venerated by the cathechized indigenous population. Her image stayed in this region until 1630 when she disappeared perhaps to avoid the iconoclastic movement propelled by the Dutch Calvinists and French Protestants in Brazil. She was found in 1710 by Capuchin missionaries from Italy and venerated in the Church of Nossa Senhora de Penha in Recife where she was the patron saint of the parish. In 1826, the Capuchin monks decided to send the statue to Italy to protect it from the turmoil of the war for independence and the desecration of churches of which the Church of Nossa Senhora de Penha was a victim. It wasn’t until 1923 when Dom Federico Benicia de Souza learned about the existence of the Madonna of Brasil in Naples. But his request and those of others for the repatriation of the image to Brazil fell on deaf ears and the Madonna is still in Italy. The image on the altar in São Paulo is a copy as are those in other churches in Brazil dedicated to Our Lady of Brazil.

This is one of the side altars made of ceramic tiles. The statues are of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (top) and the Santo Niño (bottom).

This polychrome side altar is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Detail of the Altar of the Virgins.

A side altar with the statue of St. Anthony of Padua

An extension of the altar of St. Anthony. This is the statue of St. Therese of Lisieux.

The Confessional Booths

Side Door

Detail from the side door tile panel above shows Mary ensconced in a medallion and standing above the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Praia (Bahia).

Nossa Senhora do Brasil
This Church was inaugurated in 1958 after 14 years of construction. Notice the domes of the towers that resemble minarets.

St. Paul (São Paulo)

The Church is located in the upscale neighborhood of Jardim America.

How to get there:
Praça Nossa Senhora do Brazil, Jardim America 
(Corner of Avenida Brasil and Rua Columbia)
I took Uber from my hotel in the city center to the Church. The rate was quite reasonable. One important thing about getting around in São Paulo is that the traffic can be bad during commute hours especially if you’re staying in the center of the city. You could be sitting in traffic for a while.

There are buses that go along Brasil Avenue and a metro station is nearby. Here is the metro map link: https://www.metro.sp.gov.br/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mapaderede.pdf

Currency: 
One USD is equal to 5.43 Brazilian Real as of June 21, 2024. I had tried a couple of ATM machines from different banks but these didn’t accept my cards. The attendant at one of them pointed me to the Banco 24 Horas which is inside several Carrefour Express supermarkets. There was also one in my hotel in Rio. I found Banco 24 to be my best option as it is in many locations throughout Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro. Banco 24 is an interbank network that includes Itaú Unibanco, Santander, Bradesco and Banco do Brasil.

Electrical adaptor:
Brazil uses two plug types, C and N. C has two round pins and N has two round pins and a grounding pin. They operate on a 127/220V supply voltage and 60Hz.

Language: Portuguese

Stay connected

*****

Images by TravelswithCharie 

 

Labels:
Location: São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil

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