Igreja de NS de Candelária

The construction of the original church to Our Lady of Candelária (dating from the late 16th century), on the present site, was credited to a ship’s captain who had almost been shipwrecked at sea. Upon his safe return he vowed to build a church to her. A later design led to its present-day grandeur, which rated Igreja de NS de Candelária among the largest and wealthiest churches of imperial Brazil. The interior is a spectacular combination of baroque and Renaissance styles. The ceiling above the nave features six large panels that depict the romanticized version of the sea captain’s journey and the subsequent origin of the church. The cupola, fabricated entirely from limestone shipped from Lisbon, is one of its most striking features.