English
Church and Convent of Saint Antony
Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
Religious Architecture
The Franciscan Convent of Recife was founded in 1606, but the oldest building of which traces remain was not built before the 1690s. What remains of that stage of construction (the galilee with three front and two side arches, an inscription dated 1695 and a single access door to the nave) indicate that the model used was Ipojuca. In the 18th century, the church was given a new façade (1770), built on top of the former one, with five stone arches on the ground floor, three windows flanked by volutes on the first floor and a pediment, also with large volutes. The new façade succeeded in the difficult feat of giving the building a monumental aspect despite the extremely limited area available. Noteworthy features in the interior of the church include the tile-covered cupola, a rare characteristic. Less rare, but equally interesting are the tiles on the nave walls, as well as the three carved altars in white and gold. The most famous and magnificent feature of this church is the chapel of the Tertiaries. Built at the same time as the church itself (1696-98) and decorated immediately afterwards, the architecture of the so-called Capela Dourada (Golden Chapel) is eclipsed by its exuberant decoration, in which the altar carvings spread across the walls and ceiling. The decoration also features painting, sculpture and tiles (the latter having been made by António Pereira and put in place in 1704) covering the entire chapel and giving rise to its name. The timeline of this chapel has inevitably led to it being seen as a site of the conflict (and corresponding peace) involved in the so-called War of the Mascates, in which the landowning nobility of Olinda opposed the traders (mascates) of Recife. The cloister tiles (including some of the oldest Portuguese and Dutch tiles in Brazil), the entrance door, the chapter room and the sacristy – where furniture attributed to José Gomes de Figueiredo and dating from c. 1787 is prominent – are also worthy of note.