St. Francis of Assisi Church - Pampulha
Pope Benedict XVI is in São Paulo, and today he canonized Friar Antonio de Santana Galvão as Brazil's first native-born saint. I intended to post a picture of the Pope here today, but his popemobile passed by me so fast I didn't know whether I should watch him pass or take the picture, and faster than I could decide he was gone; all I got was a picture of the back of his head. Oh, well, this is not my first Pope, I hope I'll have other chances...
So, to celebrate the visit, I decided to post the pictures of this church instead.
Located by the Pampulha lake in Belo Horizonte, it was designed by Oscar Niemeyer (who'll be turning 100 in December). Built in 1943 in one of the most conservative Catholic regions in the country, its modern style resulted in it not being consecrated for 17 years. Another reason, maybe, was the fact that both Niemeyer and Candido Portinari, who did all the paintings, were well known communists...
When I visited it, four years ago, it was in a sad state of conservation, but fortunately it has been restored since then.
So, to celebrate the visit, I decided to post the pictures of this church instead.
Located by the Pampulha lake in Belo Horizonte, it was designed by Oscar Niemeyer (who'll be turning 100 in December). Built in 1943 in one of the most conservative Catholic regions in the country, its modern style resulted in it not being consecrated for 17 years. Another reason, maybe, was the fact that both Niemeyer and Candido Portinari, who did all the paintings, were well known communists...
When I visited it, four years ago, it was in a sad state of conservation, but fortunately it has been restored since then.
4 comments:
coming to ur blog is like traveling to a part of the world i may never see.....the blue paintings reminded me of the ones on Chinese pottery or the blue Delft pottery....
Thanx for sharing the pics with us , Geraldo
i agree with moi...!
moreover, being an architect, i am curious about this building now...interesting form of church..,luved artwork too!
Moi,
The Portuguese also have a tradition of tiles, and blue is the most used color. The funny thing is that the word for tile in Portuguese is azulejo: as most people, I always thought this word came from azul, which means blue, but I just found out it comes from the Arabic az Zuleij. Living and learning...
a-xpressions, if you google the name Oscar Niemeyer you'll find that the curve forms are the characteristic mark of this architect, who designed all public buildings in Brasília, the capital of Brazil. I consider him a sculptor in concrete, rather than an architect, since he never worries about function, just form. Beautiful buildings, but not suited to their functions (for example, a new auditorium here in São Paulo has acoustics so poor that a famous pianist recently interrupted a concert and apologized to the audience...)
What an unusual church. I love the design, and the blue and white is wonderful.
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