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Chapel of Our Lord of Bonfim
Ouro Preto, Vila Rica, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Religious Architecture
There is no documentary information available to make a detailed history of this building possible. In the opinion of Canon R. Trindade, it was built in 1776 and rebuilt in 1782. According to Manuel Bandeira, “this was the small chapel where those condemned to death listened to the Mass prayed for their souls on their way to the gallows built in Cabeças in 1791”. The foundations, cornerpieces and walls of this building are all entirely made of stone. The originality of this chapel is the absence of a sacristy. Inside, there is a wooden crossing arch and a single altar, also very simple. The façade was completely remodelled after 1851, the year when the traveller Hermann Burmeister drew a picture of the chapel in its original form. After the building was listed in 1939, IPHAN used this drawing to restore the building (1957-1958), giving it its original appearance once again: the façade is in three sections, each with its own door – the central one (with a curved lintel) is much taller than the side ones (which have straight lintels). There is an oculus above the main door in the centre of the gable, while there are small arrow slits in the side sections. An iron shaft with an armillary sphere, cock, crown and cross stands on the ridge of the roof. The side belfry with two bells, which can be seen in Burmeister’s drawing, was not rebuilt.
Cláudia Damasceno Fonseca