Basilica of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia: A Historical and Architectural Heritage Site in Salvador

The Basilica of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia of the Beach or Church o of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia is located in the Lower City of Salvador, Bahia, the Church of Our Lady of the Conception of the Beach is just a few metres from the Lacerda Elevator and the Mercado Modelo.

The Basilica is one of the most important churches in Salvador, Bahia. Known for its neoclassical architecture, the Basilica attracts both worshippers and tourists interested in its history and beauty.

The Basilica’s architecture is characterised by elements such as

• Symmetrical facade: It has a harmonious structure with columns and pediments.
• Cross-shaped plan: The interior is designed in a cross-shaped style.
• Decorated high altar: The high altar is richly decorated and stands out in the main nave.
• Side chapels: The nave is surrounded by chapels containing images of saints.
• Impressive dome: The dome gives the building a grandiose appearance.

In addition, the interior of the Basilica is decorated with beautiful tiles and paintings, creating a sacred and intimate atmosphere.

The Basilica of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia has a special feature: it was prefabricated in Portugal, the numbered parts were transported across the Atlantic in caravels and finally assembled in Brazil.

Impressive, overlooking the Bay of All Saints, it is the starting point for the procession with the image of Our Lady of the Conception to the Church of Our Lord of Bonfim for the traditional festival of Lavagem do Bonfim, where the steps are washed with scented water by Bahian women dressed in white.

The festival is held every year on the second Thursday of January after Epiphany.

A visit to the Basilica of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia is an enriching experience, both spiritually and culturally.

Foundation: Built in 1549

Location: Rua da Conceição da Praia, s/n, Comércio – Salvador – BA

Video: History and neoclassical architecture of the Basilica of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia

Link

Embed

Copy and paste this HTML code into your webpage to embed.

Basílica Santuário Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia

See also Churches in Salvador da Bahia – History and Architecture.

History of the Basilica of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia

The Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Conception of the Beach, or Church of Our Lady of the Conception of the Beach, built in 1549, with its parish church raised in 1623, is one of the oldest parishes of the Archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia in Brazil.

The project was developed in Portugal, and its current construction, which began in 1739 and was completed in 1849, in the Baroque style, was made entirely of Lioz stone, brought from Portugal at the request of the Brotherhood of the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of the Conception of Praia, the caretakers of the basilica.

The stones were glued together with whale oil and the work took 300 years, involving three generations of craftsmen.

It was elevated to the status of a sacred basilica in 1946, when Pope Paul VI declared Our Lady of the Conception of the Beach to be the only secular patron of the state of Bahia.

The plans were drawn up by the military engineer Manuel Cardoso de Saldanha and the materials were supplied by the master bricklayer Manuel Vicente.

The stonemason Eugénio da Mota, from Portugal, prepared the stones and accompanied their transport to Salvador, and was also responsible for the construction of the temple.

Its interior is the first complete demonstration of the Baroque style of Dom João V in Brazil. The ceiling of the nave is painted by José Joaquim da Rocha in the Baroque illusionist style of Italian origin.

The monumentality of the neoclassical façade is emphasised by the diagonal towers. The church is typical of Alentejo architecture.

The church was prefabricated in Portugal in Lioz stone and arrived in Brazil in separate, numbered pieces.

Eugênio da Mota, as mentioned above, was expressly commissioned to assemble the “architectural jigsaw”, and his stay in Brazil was extended until the work was completed.

In Portugal, the construction of buildings was not limited to elements that required the intervention of specialised craftsmen, but often included the simplest foundations that supported the walls.

The stone walls of the church, almost without decoration, are divided by a grandiose series of Doric pilasters that support the royal trough that surrounds the entire nave.

Painting on the nave ceiling

The painting on the ceiling of the nave is a large painting traditionally attributed to José Joaquim da Rocha.

It belongs to the category known as “perspective painting” or “illusionism”, because it seeks to deceive the viewer’s eye with false architecture and illusory space.

The subject of the painting is the glorification of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, who appears crowned with stars above her special symbol, the new moon. At her feet are four women festively dressed in her honour.

The two on the left represent America and Europe. On the right, Asia and Africa complete the group of the four continents. Above the Virgin is the Holy Trinity, with the Agnus Dei adored by St John the Evangelist and the Holy Precursor.

Side altars

The plan of the church’s nave is wide and long (28.50 metres by 19.80 metres), ending at the ends of the main axis with a three-sided polygonal area.

Between these walls and the four doors leading to the aisles, there are three side altars on each side, set in square chapels of considerable depth.

The openings and shutters of the chapels form a chain of twelve equal arches in the lower part of the nave, dominated by the rhythm of the immense arch of the choir, which rises very high to join the arches of the tribunes on the upper floor.

Sister Dulce’s first grave

Soon after her death, Sister Dulce was buried in the Conceição da Praia church in Salvador. In 2000, when the process for her beatification began, her remains were transferred to the chapel of the Santo Antonio Convent in Largo de Roma.

A decade later, on 9 June 2010, the nun’s remains were transferred to the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God – today also known as the Sanctuary of Blessed Dulce of the Poor, located next to the headquarters of the Social Works of Sister Dulce (OSID).

Pope Francis promulgated the decree approving the second miracle attributed to the intercession of Sister Dulce, completing the final stage of the process for the Bahian saint’s canonisation.

The nun, known as the Good Angel of Bahia, will be the first saint to be born in Brazil, and her canonisation will be the third fastest in history (27 years after her death), after the canonisations of Pope John Paul II (9 years after his death) and Mother Teresa of Calcutta (19 years after her death).

History and architecture of the Basilica of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia in Salvador

This post is also on: Português English Deutsch Español Français