Brazil's greatest colonial sculptor carved this church's masterpieces with tools strapped to his arms after disease crippled his hands.
About Igreja de São Francisco de Assis
The church was built in the late 1700s in Ouro Preto, a town made fabulously rich by the Brazilian gold rush, when wealth funded a flowering of Baroque art. Aleijadinho, despite the illness that destroyed his hands, created its sculptural decoration, and Ataide painted its celebrated ceiling. Ouro Preto's ensemble of Baroque churches earned the town UNESCO World Heritage status.
The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Ouro Preto is a jewel of Brazilian Baroque, considered the masterpiece of Aleijadinho, the country's greatest colonial artist. Set in the UNESCO-listed former gold-mining town, its soapstone carvings and richly painted ceiling represent the height of the Rococo style in colonial Brazil.
“The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Ouro Preto is a jewel of Brazilian Baroque, considered the masterpiece of Aleijadinho, the country's greatest colonial artist.”
Igreja de São Francisco de Assis, Brazil
The Crippled Master's Masterpiece
The church was designed and largely carved by Antonio Francisco Lisboa, known as Aleijadinho, 'the little cripple', who continued to create extraordinary sculpture even as a degenerative disease robbed him of the use of his hands, working with tools strapped to his arms. Completed in the late 18th century, the church features his exquisite soapstone facade and a ceiling painted by Manuel da Costa Ataide, whose depiction of the Virgin is famously dark-skinned, reflecting the people of colonial Brazil.
The Experience
You admire the harmonious soapstone facade with its carved medallion above the door, then enter to see Ataide's vivid painted ceiling, where the Virgin is depicted with the features and colouring of a Brazilian woman, and the finely worked altars. The artistry, and the story of the disabled master who created it, make the church deeply moving. The surrounding colonial town of Ouro Preto is a treasure in itself.
Why It Matters
The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi is the supreme achievement of Brazilian colonial art and of Aleijadinho, a key monument of the Baroque in the Americas. Set in UNESCO-listed Ouro Preto, it embodies the artistic and cultural legacy of Brazil's gold-rush era.
Why Visit
The masterpiece of Brazilian Baroque by the sculptor Aleijadinho, with exquisite soapstone carving and a famous painted ceiling, in colonial Ouro Preto.
Insider Tips
- 1
See Aleijadinho's soapstone carving and Ataide's painted ceiling.
- 2
Note the Virgin depicted with Brazilian features on the ceiling.
- 3
Explore the wider UNESCO town of Ouro Preto.
