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Congonhas do Campo, 83 kilometers south of Belo Horizonte, is justifiably proud of its Baroque basilica, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. No art lover should miss the opportunity to savor this masterpiece by the incomparable Aleijadinho!
It is inadvisable to try to pack Congonhas and Ouro Preto into a one-day outing, as there are simply too many places to see that ought not to be missed. Visitors traveling by car from Rio (350 kilometers away) can reach the city from the BR 040. The city's name is derived from Luxemburgia polyandra, a common plant known in Portuguese as congonhas do cameo. The pilgrimage church of Senhor Born Jesus de Matosinhos is visible from quite a distance away, and the Via Sacra, which leads up to it, was designed as a Way of the Cross by Aleijadinho.
Aleijadinho's Way of the Cross
Beginning in 1797, Aleijadinho, seriously ill and badly disfigured (but aided by his assistants), worked furiously on the 64 mahogany figures that adorn the six chapels on the Via Sacra. Although the statues can now only be viewed through wooden grillwork, the artistic perfection of the faces of Jesus and the Apostles can still be appreciated, as can the larger-than-life cruelty of the soldiers. The figures were painted in vivid hues by Francisco Xavier Carneiro and other artists. Manuel da Costa Athayde brought Aleijadinho's long creative pilgrimage to completion with his sensitive use of colors on the figures representing the Last Supper, the Passion and the Crucifixion. Beginning at the bottom of Maranhao, the steep hill that leads up to the basilica, the visitor encounters the Last Supper, the Mount of Olives, the Capture, Derision, the Crown of Thorns, the Bearing of the Cross, and in the sixth chapel, the Crucifixion.
Moved to silence and wonder on the staircase of Basilica Senhor Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, one is completely captivated by the figures of Josea and Jeremiah. These soapstone sculptures are two of the Twelve Prophets, Aleijadinho's last masterpieces, which he and his workers created between 1800 and 1805. One helper, Mauricio, was crushed to death by a statue, but Aleijadinho continued to work like one possessed, strapped to a wooden scaffolding, with hammer and chisel attached to the stumps of his arms. The figures, which vary in size, look as though they have stepped directly from the pages of the Old Testament, their very souls visible in their faces. After Hosea and Jeremiah come Baruch and Ezekiel; at the bottom of the steps, Daniel and Hosea; on the terrace to the left Jonah, Obadiah and Amos; and to the right Joel, Habakkuk and Nahum. The spirit of the Baroque is fully in evidence here, in the harmony of the church, the forecourt with the prophets, and the Stations of the Cross.
The basilica owes its existence to Feliciano Mendes, a descendant of the royal House of Braganqa who believed that Jesus of Matosinho had cured him of a serious disease, and who consequently took a solemn vow that he would commission a church in his honor. After spending years amassing the necessary funds, work began on the church in 1758, and it was completed in only three years. Ever since, pilgrims, most of them hoping to be cured of a disease, have come from every corner of Brazil on September 14, the anniversary of the miracle cure. Many visitors also come to the church throughout the year to marvel at the last great work of the "little cripple."
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