Collaborate
Chapel of Saint Sebastian
Ouro Preto, Vila Rica, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Religious Architecture
According to the available information (drawn from local tradition and historiography), the original Chapel of Saint Sebastian was built between 1708 and 1724 on the same hillside, but at a lower level than the present-day building. This second chapel was built in stone masonry in the second half of the same century, but it preserved the original shape, which was typical of early 18th-century chapels. The floor plan consists of a nave separated from the chancel, which is flanked by the sacristy. The façade has no windows and is simply composed of a portal (with a curved lintel and a panelled door), a circular oculus in the triangular pediment, which is surmounted by a stone cross, and two belfries above the cornerstones (similar to those found in the Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy). The belfries, however, merely play a decorative role, since the bell was placed in an isolated bell-tower to the side of the chapel. The chapel was subjected to a series of alterations, in relation to both its structure and finishing, from 1837 onwards. The interior is relatively bare; the high altar, which dates from the late 19th century, displays some extremely simple, but finely executed, carving work. The central throne supports the image of the patron saint, while the side niches house images of Our Lady of the Conception and Saint Anne. Like the other chapels on the hills that form the Serra do Ouro Preto, the Chapel of Saint Sebastian was listed by IPHAN in 1939.
Cláudia Damasceno Fonseca