This 18th-century treasury building still retains its historic foundry, where gold was melted down and formed into bars under the watchful eye of the Portuguese crown. It doubled as a prison for members of the Inconfidência. The renovated mansion now houses informational displays about the history of money in Brazil. The grand rooms upstairs command sweeping views over Ouro Prêto's streets, while the dank, cobblestoned former senzala (slave quarters) below exhibits harrowing instruments of imprisonment and torture.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Igreja de São Francisco de Assis
0.28 MILES
This exquisite church is Brazil's most important piece of colonial art, after Aleijadinho’s masterpiece The Prophets in Congonhas. Its entire exterior was…
24.5 MILES
Already an old man, sick and crippled, Aleijadinho sculpted The Prophets between 1800 and 1805. Symmetrically placed in front of the Basílica do Bom Jesus…
0.19 MILES
On the southwestern side of town, this is Brazil's second most opulent church (after Salvador’s São Francisco). It has 434kg of gold and silver and is one…
4.4 MILES
Halfway between Ouro Preto and Mariana, this ancient gold mine was founded by the Portuguese in 1719 and definitively decommissioned in 1985. Guided tours…
5.84 MILES
The star attraction at Mariana's cathedral is its fantastic German organ dating from 1701, painted with designs from the then-Portuguese colony of Macau…
0.21 MILES
This historical museum is housed in Ouro Preto's old municipal headquarters and jail, an attractive building built between 1784 and 1854 on the southern…
Igreja de Santa Efigênia dos Pretos
0.74 MILES
Financed by gold from Chico-Rei’s mine and built by the slave community, this mid-18th-century church honors Santa Efigênia, princess of Nubia. The…
0.5 MILES
Near Matriz NS da Conceição de Antônio Dias is the abandoned mine of Chico-Rei. There’s little to see as you stoop through the low passageways, but it’s…
Nearby Minas Gerais attractions
1. Museu de Ciência e Técnica da Escola de Minas
0.17 MILES
In the old governor’s palace above Praça Tiradentes, this museum features dazzling gemstones from around the world. Even if you skip the museum itself, it…
2. Igreja de São Francisco de Paula
0.17 MILES
This 19th-century church, the last to be constructed during Ouro Preto's colonial period, serves as a convenient landmark, perched high on the hillside…
0.18 MILES
Ouro Preto's vast cobblestoned central square is surrounded by some of the city’s finest museums and churches, and serves as the centerpiece for city wide…
0.18 MILES
Built between 1766 and 1772, this lovely church was a group effort by the area’s most important artists. It features a facade and two side altars by…
0.19 MILES
On the southwestern side of town, this is Brazil's second most opulent church (after Salvador’s São Francisco). It has 434kg of gold and silver and is one…
0.2 MILES
This museum features a fabulous collection of hand-carved oratórios – miniature home altars and portable devotional shrines dating back to the 17th…
0.21 MILES
This historical museum is housed in Ouro Preto's old municipal headquarters and jail, an attractive building built between 1784 and 1854 on the southern…
0.25 MILES
Initiated in 1762 and completed in 1823, this beautiful baroque church is the final destination for Ouro Preto's colorful Easter Sunday processions. It's…