Brazil - Minas Gerais - Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The top image shows the exterior of a small chapel, identified as the "Passo da Crucificação (Step of the Crucifixion). The bottom image depicts a dramatic religious sculpture scene inside the chapel likely part of the "Steps of the Passion" series created by the celebrated sculptor Aleijadinho and his workshop in the late 18th century.

Sent by Denise from Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Standing high on a platform reached by a slightly  curved, divided staircase carrying on its parapets statues of the twelve prophets in soapstone (pedra sabão), the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Congonhas is approached via a ramped forecourt between six chapels marking Stations of the Cross (the Passos). Dating from the second half of the 18th century, the church with its magnificent Italian rococo interior is a masterpiece of the Baroque style reflecting in its architecture and ornamentation the transition period in which it was built. The soapstone statues together with the polychrome wooden sculptures depicting scenes of Christ’s Passion housed in the chapels stand as a crowning achievement of the creative genius of Francisco Antônio Lisboa, Aleijadinho, who bequeathed to humanity a truly impressive body of work (read more).