|
Mariana's colonial churches are smaller and less extravagant than Ouro Preto's, though most are decorated with paintings by Athayde , who came from here and is buried in the Igreja de Sao Francisco. The oldest church is the Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Assuncao on Praca Claudio Manoel (Tues-Sun 7am-7pm), begun in 1709 and choked with gilded Rococo detail. This is very much an Aleijadinho family venture: his father, Manoel Francisco Lisboa, designed and built it, while Aleijadinho contributed the carvings in the sacristy and a font. The interior is dominated by a massive German organ dating from 1701 and donated by the king of Portugal in 1751. Look closely and you can see Chinese-style decorations carved by slaves, who also worked the bellows. You can hear the organ in action, in recitals given at 11am on Fridays and at noon on Sundays. The two churches on Praca Joao Pinheiro, around the corner, show how tastes had changed by the end of the century. Their ornate facades and comparatively restrained interiors are typical of the third phase of barroco mineiro. The Igreja de Sao Francisco de Assis (daily 8am-5pm), finished in 1794, has the finest paintings of any Mariana church, as befits the place where Athayde is buried. The numbers on the church floor are where members of the lay Franciscan brotherhood are buried; Athayde is no. 94. The elaborate interior contains much that is worth seeing: a fine sacristy, and an altar and pews by Aleijadinho, who also put his signature on the church in his usual way, by sculpting the sumptuous soapstone "medal" over the door. The Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo (daily 8am-noon & 2-5pm), on the other side of the square, with a less elaborate exterior, is disappointing in comparison. But the combination of the two churches with the equally graceful Prefeitura makes the bare grass square a pleasant place to take a break. From here, it's a short uphill walk via the unspoilt Rua Dom Silverio to the mid-eighteenth-century Basilica Menor de Sao Pedro dos Clerigos (open occasionally Sat & Sun for Mass) which overlooks the town, framed by groves of towering palms; you pass the strange, geometric Igreja da Arquiconfraria on the way. The object is not so much to view the Basilica, but to enjoy the view of the town stretched out before you. If you follow the path along the top the views are even better.
Your Tip for Marianas churches
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Marianas churches - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Marianas churches - visit the main Marianas churches forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Marianas churches webguide section below! Thanks.
|
