The Mosteiro de São Bento stands on a hill overlooking Guanabara Bay, recognizable by its simple white facade flanked by two towers. Founded in fifteen ninety by Benedictine monks who arrived from Bahia, it is one of the oldest and most…
Centro Baroque Churches
This walk takes you through the oldest cobblestone corridors of Rio's downtown to experience the jaw-dropping gold leaf and dramatic artistry of the city's finest colonial-era churches.
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1. Mosteiro de São Bento
2. Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Candelária
The Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Candelária stands in the center of the city, distinguished by a massive central dome that was once the tallest point on the Rio de Janeiro skyline. Its story began in the early seventeenth century, when a…
3. Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Lapa dos Mercadores
The Church of Our Lady of Lapa dos Mercadores is identified by the three arched galilee at the base of its facade and the marble tower above. Tucked into the historic center of Rio de Janeiro on the Rua do Ouvidor, this eighteenth-century…
4. Imperial Irmandade da Santa Cruz dos Militares
The Imperial Irmandade da Santa Cruz dos Militares is defined by a facade of carved stone featuring volutes and pediments that mirror Italian baroque and mannerist designs. Founded in sixteen twenty-three, the brotherhood began when…
5. Church of the Order Terceira do Carmo
The Church of the Order Terceira do Carmo in the Centro neighborhood is identifiable by its two majestic bell towers topped with blue glazed tile bulbs. This stone structure, initiated in seventeen fifty-five, stands with a refined facade…
6. Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo da Antiga Sé
The Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo da Antiga Sé features a distinct white facade and twin bell towers that stand as a landmark near Praça Quinze. Consecrated in seventeen sixty-one, this building began as a Carmelite church before becoming…
7. Convento de Santo Antônio
The Convento de Santo Antônio sits atop a hill overlooking Largo da Carioca, recognizable by its long, white colonial facade punctuated by widely spaced, nearly square windows. Construction on this Franciscan complex began in sixteen oh…
8. Igreja da Venerável Ordem Terceira de São Francisco da Penitencia
The Igreja da Venerável Ordem Terceira de São Francisco da Penitência sits atop the Morro de Santo Antônio, distinguishable by a facade divided into three vertical sections that each feature an independent roofline and portal. While the…