Church of the Third Order of Saint Francis

Church of the Third Order of Saint Francis
Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco
Façade of the Church of the Third Order of Saint Francis
Location of the Church of the Third Order of Saint Francis in Brazil
Basic information
Geographic coordinates 12°58′28″S 38°30′32″W / 12.974421°S 38.508821°W / -12.974421; -38.508821
Affiliation Catholic
Rite Roman
Municipality Salvador
State Bahia
Country Brazil
Architectural description
Architect(s) Gabriel Ribeiro
Architectural type Church
Architectural style Plat

The Church of the Third Order of Saint Francis (Portuguese: Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco) is an 18th-century Roman Catholic church in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil and seat of the Third Order of Saint Francis in Brazil. The church is one of the main elements of the Historic Center of Salvador and lies within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the city. It was listed as a historic structure by National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) in 1941. The church was constructed as an annex to the São Francisco Church and Convent. It is noted for its distinctive Plateresque-style façade, an example unique in Brazil.[1][2][3][4]

History

The Order of the Third Order of San Francisco arrived in Bahia in 1635. The order erected its first church in 1644 and was demolished and replaced by the present structure. A competition was held for its design, and on December 18, 1701 the Fathers of the Third Order chose Gabriel Ribeiro (late 16th century-1719), a native of Porto, Portugal. The cornerstone of the church was laid on January 1, 1702 and the structure was completed on June 22, 1703. The façade was completed in 1705, but its elaborate construction probably continued well into the 18th century.[5][1]

The church was renovated in the 19th century. The primitive interior of the church was replaced with Neoclassical elements. New altars were created between 1827 and 1828 by the master wood carver José de Cerqueira Torres. Torres was commissioned to complete 77 pieces, including candlesticks, crosses, bouquets and jars. Franco Velasco completed in the gilding in 1830. The ornate Plateresque façade was covered with a simple Neoclassical facade. The church is also noted for its azulejo tiles and jacaranda furniture, both from the 18th century.[1][2]

Electricians carrying out renovations on the church in the 1932 discovered the original Baroque exterior of the church. The Neoclassical façade was removed and the granite Baroque exterior renovated in its present form in 1939. The church is also noted for its collection of roca saints, which are housed in a room completed in 1844.[1][2][3]

Structure

Church of the Third Order of Saint Francis sits behind a small churchyard on Igreja da Ordem Terceira slightly removed from the Terreiro do Jesus. The churchyard features an iron fence and masonry pillars. The richly decorated Plateresque-style façade is carved from limestone with sandstone elements. The church sits on a slight slope, which was used as a sacristy. The sacristy further leads to an ossuary. The tribunes of the left wing are linked by galleries. The rich paintings on the ceiling of the nave were completed in 1831 by Franco Velasco. The sacristy is noted for its well-preserved azulejo tiles and marble lavabo. A sitting room is noted for its carved wooden altar. The room to house the roca saints, called the Casa dos Santos, is the work of the master woodcarver Joaquim Francisco de Mattos. The room contains twenty-three niches to house the saints.[5][1][2][4]

Protected status

Church of the Third Order of Saint Francis was listed as a historic structure by the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute in 1938. The structures were registered under the Book of Historical Works, Inscription no. 89.[3]

Access

The church is open to the public and may be visited.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Freire, Luiz Alberto Ribeiro (2008). O "Clássico e Singelo" José De Cerqueira Torres (PDF). 17° Encontro Nacional da Associação Nacional de Pesquisadores em Artes Plásticas Panorama da Pesquisa em Artes Visuais (in Portuguese). Santa Maria, RS, Brazil: Associação Nacional de Pesquisadores em Artes Plásticas.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lins, Eugénio Ávila (2012). "Church of the Third Order of Saint Francis". Heritage of Portuguese Influence/Património de Influência Portuguesa. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
  3. 1 2 3 Carrazzoni, Maria Elisa, ed. (1980). Guia dos bens tombados. Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Expressão e Cultura Pedidos pelo reembolso postal, EXPED-Expansão Editorial. p. 62. ISBN 9788520800577.
  4. 1 2 "Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco (Salvador, BA)". Brasilia, Brazil: IPHAN. 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  5. 1 2 Bazin, Germain (1956). L'architecture religieuse baroque au Brésil (in French). 2. Sao Paulo: Museu de Arte. p. 33-34.
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