Congonhas

The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos was finished in the late eighteenth century, and what makes it a World Heritage site is the sculpture. Antonio Francisco Lisboa, called Aleijadinho, carved twelve Old Testament prophets in soapstone for the terrace in front of the church between 1800 and 1805, placing them so that they read as a group in argument, each with a scroll and a gesture. Below, six chapels on the slope hold sixty-six painted cedar figures staging the Passion. Aleijadinho was by then losing the use of his hands and fingers to a degenerative disease, and worked with tools strapped to his wrists - a detail that is repeated everywhere and is central to how Brazil regards him. The prophets are outdoors and weathering, which is a continuing conservation problem.

What you actually see

• Twelve soapstone prophets - carved 1800 to 1805 and arranged as a group.
• Six Passion chapels - sixty-six painted cedar figures on the slope below.
• Work done with strapped tools - carved as the sculptor lost use of his hands.
• Outdoor weathering - the ongoing conservation problem with the stone.

When to go

April to September. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Congonhas is a small industrial town with little else for a visitor, and most people come for a few hours from Ouro Preto or Belo Horizonte. Some prophets are periodically under conservation cover. The chapels are viewed through grilles rather than entered.

Nearby

Ouro Preto is south-east; Tiradentes and Sao Joao del Rei are further south.