Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos
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How it came to be
The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos stands on a hilltop in Congonhas, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Feliciano Mendes began it in fulfilment of a vow to Bom Jesus de Matosinhos after recovering from a grave illness in 1757. The invocation refers to a wooden image of Christ kept at Matosinhos in Portugal.
When Mendes died in 1765, services began at the sanctuary. Its Italian-inspired Rococo interior took shape with altars made between 1765 and 1775, and in 1773–1774 Bernardo Pires da Silva painted the burial of Jesus on the chancel ceiling. Prayers before the image were believed to be answered, and the sanctuary became a famous pilgrimage site.
In 1796 the sculptor Aleijadinho was commissioned for the Way of the Cross and the prophets. With his workshop he carved the 66 polychrome figures of the Passion chapels from 1796 and the twelve prophets on the outdoor stairway between 1800 and 1805. The sanctuary was listed as a national historic monument in 1939 and inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1985.
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