Itineraries
[colonial art]
Ouro Preto [colonial mineira art]
The praça Tiradentes is the central point of the city; it is as if it were a
divider. From that point, one can programme visits. Ouro Preto possesses
steep slopes and it takes a considerable amount of time to traverse them.
Walking is, however, the best way to get to know the city, which is an
open-air museum, and to best observe it from different angles.
Right side
Facing the Museu da
Inconfidência– known
as the Paróquia do
Pilar (Pillar Parish)
Left side
Facing the Museu da
Inconfidência – known
as the Paróquia do
Pilar (Pillar Parish)
Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo –
Church of Our Lady of the Carmo
Teatro Municipal – Municipal Theatre
Museu Guignard – Guignard Museum
Casa dos Contos – House of Tales
Chafariz dos Contos – Fountain of
Tales
Matriz do Pilar / Museu de Arte Sacra
– Museum of Sacred Art
Igreja Nossa Senhora do Rosário –
Church of Our Lady of the Rosary
Igreja São Francisco de Paula –
Church of Saint Francis of Paula
Igreja de São José – Saint Joseph
Church
Igreja Nossa Senhora das Mercês –
Church of Our Lady of Mercy
Igreja de São Miguel e Almas –
Church of Saint Michael and Souls
Igreja de São Francisco de Assis –
Church of Saint Francis of Assisi
Feira de Artesanato (Handicraft Fair)
Residência de Thomaz Antônio
Gonzaga
Residência Cláudio Manoel da Costa
Matriz Nossa Senhora da Conceição /
Museu do Aleijadinho (Aleijadinho
Museum)
Capela Nossa Senhora das Dores
Igreja de Santa Ifigênia – Church of
Saint Ephigenia
Igreja do Rosário – Church of the
Rosary
This visit involves a certain geographic difficulty, but it is much more
interesting to accompany the evolution of 18th Century mineira art.
Case Liner Ig. St. Francis of Assisi - Photo: Sergio Freitas
1.
Cultural Itinerary - Colonial mineira art
For those who wish to get to know mineira colonial art well, a good
suggestion is to organize a trip based on chronological order. Get to know
the temples of the first half of the 18th Century, where alters of the
National Portuguese and joanino periods can be observed.
National Portuguese Period, the authenic
Portuguese Baroque
In Minas: 1696 to 1730/35
Foto: Henry Yu
Characteristics: curved columns, profuse
engravings, symbolic decorative elements –
pelicans, phoenix, floral motives, dark colours
and gilding. Many exotic figures.
Joanino or Dom João V Period
In Minas: 1730/35 to 1760
Characteristics: solomonic columns, many angels,
helixes, dossals, intense gilding, niches with Saints,
evasion of empty spaces.
2.
Mother Church of Our Lady of the Pillar – exemple of joanino period
in Minas
Fotos: Sérgio Freitas
Igreja Nossa Senhora do Pilar (Paróquia Pilar)
Church of Our Lady of the Pillar (Pillar Parish)
One of the most exuberant temples of Minas Gerais. It originates in the apogee
of Baroque decoration, providing a dramatic effect for the senses. It contains
works of art of Francisco Xavier de Brito, the Portuguese sculptor who
introduced joanino in Minas Gerais.
The Museum of Sacred Art functions on the inside of this museum.
Address: praça Monsenhor João Castilho Barbosa – (31) 3551-4736
Open Hours: Tuesdays – Sundays, from 9:00 to 10:45 and from 12:00 to 16:45
Inside details of Mother Church of Our Lady of the Pillar – Photos: Sérgio Freitas
4.
Igreja Rosário dos Pretos (Paróquia Pilar)
Church of the Rosary of the Blacks (Pillar Parish)
Any itinerary dedicated to those who want to see colonial mineira art
cannot miss the only church, in Ouro Preto, with true Baroque architecture.
This splendid construction possesses authentic Baroque architecture. Its
curved base and façade transform it into one of the wonders of 18th Century
mineira art. Just this church and the Saint Peter of the Clerics, in Mariana,
possess this characteristic in Minas Gerais, of being truly faithful to Baroque
in their architecture.
Address: praça do Rosário
Open Hours: Tuesdays - Sundays, from 9:00 to 11:00 and from 12:30 to
16:45
Foto: Sérgio Freitas
5.
Igreja Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Paróquia Antônio Dias)
Church of Our Lady of the Conception (Antônio Dias Parish)
Located on the inside of this beautiful temple, with decoration of the transition
between the Portuguese national and joanino period, is the tomb of the master
Antônio Francisco Lisboa, o Aleijadinho.
The Museu do Aleijadinho (Aleijadinho Museum) is located on the inside of this
church.
Address: praça Antônio Dias – (31) 3551-3282
Open Hours: Tuesdays - Saturdays, from 8:30 to 12:00 and from 13:20 to 17:00.
Fotos: Sérgio Freitas
Capela do Padre Faria – Rosário dos Homens Brancos (Paróquia de
Antônio Dias
Chapel of Father Faria – Rosary of White Men (Antônio Dias Parish)
One of the most beautiful chapels in Ouro Preto, it possesses beautiful
alters from the joanino period. The lining of the chapel alter in its
Baroque perspective has somewhat of a special preciousness.
Address: rua Padre Faria – Padre Faria
Open Hours: Tuesdays – Sundays, from 8:30 to 16:30
Fotos: Maria Lucia Dornas
After getting to know, through extraordinary visits, the National
Portuguese and Joanino styles which were used to decorate the
mineiro temples in the first half of the 18th Century, it is time to
appreciate Rococo, the style that dominated the second half of the
same century.
7.
Foto: Henry Yu
Rococo characteristics
Flowers, borders, wave-like ribbons
Paintings lined in an aerial perspective
The painting of Minas Gerais reached its peak in the second
half of the 18th century.
Principal artists of the period: Aleijadinho, Ataíde, Francisco
Vieira Servas.
8.
1.
Examples of the painting from the
Rococo period
1.
Painting details of Church of Santo Antônio/ Santa Bárbara
2.
2.
Detail of the ceiling of the sacristy of Ig. S. Fco. de Assis / Mariana
Fotos: Henry Yu
Two temples perfectly illustrate this style. They are:
Igreja São Francisco de Assis (Paróquia Antônio Dias)
Church of Saint Francis of Assisi (Antônio Dias Parish)
The great mineiro masters Aleijadinho and Athaíde left behind their Brazilian
Rococo masterpieces.
Rococo reached its maximum level of sophistication in the lining of the nave.
Athaíde was, without a doubt, the great master of the colonial Brazil’s
perspective painting. The architectural plot is light, made up of rocailles,
delicate wreaths and angels that seem to float within the grace of vivid
colours.
Foto: Sérgio Freitas
Address: praça Coimbra – (31) 3551-3282
Open Hours: Tuesdays - Sundays, from 8:30 to 12:00 and from 13:30 to 17:00
Details of the painting of Mestre Ataíde – Ig. S. Fco de Assis
Fotos: Maria Lucia Dornas
Fotos: Maria Lucia Dornas
Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo (Paróquia Pilar)
Church of Our Lady of Carmo (Pillar Parish)
The church imposes itself on the Ouro Preto landscape through its solidity and
beauty. In this temple, the master Aleijadinho executed his final works of art.
Address: rua Brigadeiro Musqueira, – (31) 3551-2601
Open Hours: Tuesdays – Sundays from 9:00 to 11:00 and from 13:00 to 16:45
Museu do Oratório (Paróquia do Pilar)
Oratory Museum (Pillar Parish)
As a way of saving the best for last, we propose that you visit the Museu do
Oratório, which is next to the Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo.
Fotos: Maria Lucia Dornas
Considered to be the only museum of its kind in the world, it is one of the most
beautiful in Minas Gerais. It houses a fantastic collection of oratories which date
back to the 17th to 20th Centuries. They come in various forms, from the most
humble to the most luxurious. For those who like art, it is a not-to-miss attraction.
Foto: Henry Yu
Fotos: Maria Lucia Dornas
To the informations below consult the Itinararies Ouro Preto [one day]
How to get
Gastronomy
Shopping
Events
General Information
Accommodation
Consult the list of hotels and lodging on Ouro Preto page, section
destinations, on descubraminas.com.
Stay Tuned!
Do not forget to check the hours and
days of operation of the attractions
to make the most of your ride.
Foto: Maria Lucia Dornas
14.