Our Lady Mother of Men Church

Our Lady Mother of Men Church
Igreja Nossa Senhora Mãe dos Homens
Our Lady Mother of Men Church in the Caraça Sanctuary
Religion
AffiliationCatholicism
Location
MunicipalityCatas Altas
StateMinas Gerais
CountryBrazil
Our Lady Mother of Men Church is located in Brazil
Our Lady Mother of Men Church
Shown within Brazil
Geographic coordinates20°05′51″S 43°29′18″W / 20.09750°S 43.48833°W / -20.09750; -43.48833
Architecture
StyleNeo-Gothic
Completed1883
Website
http://www.santuariodocaraca.com.br/

The Our Lady Mother of Men Church Portuguese: Igreja Nossa Senhora Mãe dos Homens, part of the Caraça Sanctuary, is a Catholic temple in Catas Altas, Minas Gerais, Brazil.[1] The official name of the complex is Sanctuary of Our Lady Mother of Men, but Caraça (Portuguese word for "big face")[2] has this nickname because of the shape of part of the mountain, which resembles the face of a giant lying down.

Situated in the Serra do Caraça, the church was built from 1876 to 1883, during the peak of the mining period, where the former Ermida do Irmão Lourenço was.[3][4][5][6] It was inaugurated on the 27th of May 1883, in the presence of the bishops from Rio de Janeiro, Mariana and Bahia. There was a church on the site built during Brother Lourenço's time, which was demolished to make way for Fr Clavelin's project. Two side altars remain from this church, which can be seen at the entrance to the building, one on each side.[7]

One of the town's main tourist attractions, the church was the first to be built in Brazil in the neo-Gothic style.[8] It has a 48-metre-high tower[8] and a painting of the Holy Supper by Mestre Ataíde in 1828.[7] The altar has a baroque image of Our Lady Mother of Men carved from wood in a single piece, with gold-painted clothes, which came from Portugal in 1784.[9] The Sanctuary, once visited by the Brazilian presidents Afonso Pena and Artur Bernardes, is listed by IPHAN.[6][10][11]

  • Our Lady Mother of Men Church
    Our Lady Mother of Men Church
  • Rearview of the church
    Rearview of the church
  • Exterior of the Caraça Sanctuary
    Exterior of the Caraça Sanctuary
  • View of Our Lady Mother of Men Church
    View of Our Lady Mother of Men Church
  • Church interior
    Church interior
  • A distant view of the Caraça Sanctuary.
    A distant view of the Caraça Sanctuary.

References

  1. ^ "Onde estamos" [Where we are]. Província Brasileira da Congregação da Missão (in Brazilian Portuguese).
  2. ^ S.A, Priberam Informática. "Caraça - Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa" [Caraça - Priberam Dictionary of the Portuguese Language]. Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  3. ^ "Catas Altas - Histórico" [Catas Altas - History] (PDF). Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-07-07. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
  4. ^ "O Santuário Neogótico de Nossa Senhora Mãe dos Homens" [The Neo-Gothic Shrine of Our Lady Mother of Men]. Santuário do Caraça (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2013-03-13. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
  5. ^ Araújo, Ana Lúcia (2005-02-14). "Fernão Dias descobre ouro em Minas Gerais" [Fernão Dias discovers gold in Minas Gerais]. UOL Vestibular (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2012-06-25.
  6. ^ a b "Caraça - Santuário / Parque" [Caraça - Sanctuary / Park]. Descubra Minas (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
  7. ^ a b "Admirando a igreja do Caraça" [Admiring the church of Caraça]. Santuário do Caraça (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  8. ^ a b "O Santuário Neogótico de Nossa Senhora Mãe dos Homens" [The Neo-Gothic Shrine of Our Lady Mother of Men]. Santuário do Caraça (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  9. ^ "Um passeio histórico e cultural em Catas Altas e Serra do Caraça" [A historical and cultural tour of Catas Altas and Serra do Caraça] (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2010-08-11. Archived from the original on 2010-12-23. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
  10. ^ "Colégio do Caraça: conjunto arquitetônico e paisagístico (Catas Altas, MG)" [Colégio do Caraça: architectural and landscape complex (Catas Altas, MG)]. Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (IPHAN) (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2015-07-08. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
  11. ^ "Parque Natural do Caraça" [Caraça Natural Park]. Webventure (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2013-02-19. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
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