Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SHOPPING
Arte do Carmo
Rua Dom Silvério 6
T
31 9609 2507.
Less tourist tra
c means gemstones are usually slightly
cheaper here than in Ouro Preto: try this small shop, run by
a family who dig their own stones from a pit nearby.
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm.
Congonhas
CONGONHAS
, an ugly, modern town 72km south of Belo Horizonte, sits ill as one of
the region's historic cities. In truth, there's only one reason for coming here: to see
Aleijadinho's
The Prophets
. It's a long way to travel just to see one thing, but this is
no ordinary work of art; if one place represents the flowering of
barroco mineiro
, this
is it - the spiritual heart of Minas Gerais.
2
Santuário do Bom Jesus de Matosinhos
Praça da Basílica, Rua de Aleijadinho (off Rua Feliciano Mendes) • Tues-Sun 7am-6pm • Free •
T
31 3731 1591
Built on a hill overlooking the southern side of town, with a panoramic view of the
hills around it, the
Santuário do Bom Jesus de Matosinhos
comprises a central basilica
and a magnificent sloping plaza studded with palms and what look like six tiny
mosques with oriental domes. These are, in fact, small
chapels
commemorating
episodes of the Passion (“Janelas dos Passos”); each is filled with life-size cedarwood
statues dramatizing the scene in a tableau (66 figures in total), the slope symbolizing
the ascent towards the Cross.
Looking down on them from the parapets of the terrace leading up to the basilica
itself are twelve towering soapstone
statues
of Old Testament prophets, remarkably
dramatic, larger than life-size, full of movement and expression. Everything, the
figures and the statues, was sculpted by
Aleijadinho
. His presumed leprosy was already
advanced, and he could only work with chisels strapped to his wrists. he results are
astonishing, a masterpiece made all the more moving by the fact that it seems likely it
was a conscious swan-song on Aleijadinho's part - there is no other explanation for the
way a seriously ill man pushed so hard to finish such a massive undertaking whose
theme was immediately relevant to his own suffering.
The Rococo-style
basilica
at the heart of the complex is modelled on the shrine
of Bom Jesus in Braga, in northern Portugal. The basilica was completed in 1772;
Aleijadinho and his disciples worked on the chapels from 1796 to 1800, and then
focused on the prophets until 1805.
Manuel da Costa Ataíde
is thought to have added
the bright paints to the statues in the chapels around 1808.
ARRIVAL AND GETTING AROUND
CONGONHAS
To Bom Jesus
To get from Congonhas's main rodoviária, a
couple of kilometres out of town, to Bom Jesus, catch the
local bus (every 30min-1hr; R$2.45; 15min) marked
“Basílica”, which takes you all the way up the hill to the
church; it's impossible to miss. The bus to take you back to
the rodoviária leaves from the parking bay behind the
church. Taxis charge R$15-20.
BY BUS
Getting to Congonhas is easy from Belo Horizonte (daily
6am-7pm, hourly; 2hr; R$24) and São João del Rei (6 daily
on the Belo-bound bus; 1hr 50min; R$27); check schedules
at
W
viacaosandra.com.br. It's possible to start out from
either place, visit Bom Jesus in Congonhas and still get to
São João del Rei or Belo Horizonte by the evening, but only
if you begin your trip early.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Hotel Colonial
Praça da Basílica 76
T
31 3731 1834,
W
hotelcolonialcongonhas.com.br.
Most people visit
Congonhas on a day-trip, but if you decide to spend the
night this is the most comfortable option, right alongside
the basilica, with its own small pool and free wi-fi. The
hotel's restaurant,
Cova do Daniel
, is also the best place to
eat, with a menu of authentic
comida mineira
(
tutu à
mineira
and
feijão tropeiro
are
specia
lities).
Mon
9am-6pm, Tues-Sun 11am-11pm.
R$120
