Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro

The Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro

The Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, (Portuguese full name: Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Monte do Carmo da antiga Sé) is an old Carmelite church which served as cathedral (Sé) of Rio de Janeiro from around 1808 until 1976. During the 19th century, it was also used as Royal and Imperial chapel by the Portuguese and Brazilian royal families. It is located in the Praça XV square, in downtown Rio. It is one of the most important historical buildings in the city.

History

Carmelite Church

When the Carmelite Order arrived in Rio in 1590, they settled in a small chapel near Guanabara Bay. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the order built a large convent and renovated the chapel, referred to as the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Monte do Carmo. Building of the present church started around 1761, and was probably directed by Portuguese architect Manuel Alves Setúbal. The church was consecrated in 1770, still with the façade unfinished. The inner decoration, in gilded woodwork in Rococo style, was carved after 1785 by master Inácio Ferreira Pinto, one of the main sculptors of 18th-century Rio de Janeiro.

Royal Chapel and Cathedral

In 1808, Prince Regent John VI of Portugal and his court arrived in Rio, fleeing Napoleonic troops which had invaded Portugal. Several of the buildings of Rio started being used by the Portuguese court, including the old Viceroy Palace (now known as Paço Imperial), the Carmelite Convent (in which the Prince Regent's mother, Maria I of Portugal, was housed) and the nearby Carmelite Church, which was converted into a Royal Chapel and soon afterwards into the new Cathedral of Rio.

As Royal Chapel, the church was a witness to several important events in this period. The Funeral Rites after the death of Queen Maria I, the Te Deum following the acclamation of her son and heir John VI as King of Portugal are among them. Prince Pedro, future Emperor of Brazil as Pedro I and Princess Leopoldina of Austria received the nuptial blessing in the chapel on 6 November 1817, having previously entered into marriage by proxy.

Coronation of Emperor Pedro I in the Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro in 1822 (painting by Jean Baptiste Debret)

Imperial Chapel

With the declaration of the Independence of Brazil in 1822, the church became the Imperial Chapel. The façade was completed around this time by Portuguese architect Pedro Alexandre Cavroé, who added a pediment in Neoclassical style to the church.

Important events in the Imperial Chapel include the coronations of Emperor Pedro I (1 December 1822) and his successor, Pedro II (18 July 1841); the signature of the Constitution of the Brazilian Empire, followed by a Te Deum (March, 1824); the baptism of Princess Isabel (15 November 1846) and the marriage of the Princess with Gaston, comte d'Eu (15 October 1864).

Republic

With the declaration of the Republic of Brazil (1889), the church lost its title of Imperial Chapel but remained the cathedral of the city. The façades of the church were remodelled in the early decades of the 20th century. A large statue of the Virgin Mary sits atop the present tower, which was rebuilt between 1905 and 1913 by the Italian architect Rafael Rebecchi. The main and lateral façades were also extensively altered during this period.

In 1976, when the modern Rio de Janeiro Cathedral was completed, the old church lost its status as seat of the archbishops. However, it has remained one of the most important historical churches in Rio and in all of Brazil.

Notable characteristics

Art

The Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro, apart from being of exceptional historical value for the city and the country, has one of the most harmonious interior decorations among the churches in Rio. The walls, chapels and ceiling are covered with ornate Rococo (late Baroque) woodwork showing lightness and unity in style. The decoration was executed after 1785, mainly by one of Rio's best Rococo wood carvers of the period, Inácio Ferreira Pinto. He was also responsible for the main altarpiece. The upper walls of the one-aisled nave have a series of balconies and oval paintings of the Apostles by painter José Leandro de Carvalho.

Later reforms did not substantially alter the inner decoration, but the façades were almost completely remodelled in the early 20th century. Only the lower part of the main façade, with its three portals, is still original.

Music

The Old Cathedral of Rio was an important setting for classical music in Brazil. In 1808 the Brazilian composer Father José Maurício Nunes Garcia (1767–1830) was appointed Master of the Royal Chapel by Prince Regent John VI. Father José Maurício is considered the best composer of the period. He was later replaced by another important musical figure, the Portuguese Marcos Portugal (1762–1830).

References

• Centro de Arquitetura e Urbanismo do Rio de Janeiro (2000) (in Portuguese). Guia da arquitetura colonial, neoclássica e romântica no Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro: Casa da Palavra. ISBN 858722025X. OCLC 47727038. 
• (Portuguese) Arte Colonial of Rio de Janeiro by Milton Teixeira Mendonça

Coordinates: 22°54′12″S 43°10′31″W / 22.9034°S 43.1754°W / -22.9034; -43.1754