Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, Pampulha
Niemeyer's parabolic vaults and Portinari's tiled facade, centrepiece of the UNESCO-listed Pampulha ensemble.
Commissioned by Juscelino Kubitschek when he was mayor of Belo Horizonte, the church was built in 1943 on the shore of the artificial Pampulha lake. Oscar Niemeyer replaced the conventional nave and tower with four reinforced-concrete parabolic vaults of differing size, the largest sheltering the sanctuary, and hung a free-standing bell tower beside them. The design was so unorthodox that the archdiocese refused to consecrate it; the building stood unused for years and was only opened for worship in 1959, having been listed as a national monument in 1947.
Cândido Portinari painted the great rear panel of Saint Francis above the altar and designed the blue and white azulejo tiling that covers the exterior of the vaults and the west front, where stylised fish and birds recall the saint's sermons. Alfredo Ceschiatti made the bronze font and Paulo Werneck the mosaic work; the surrounding garden is by Roberto Burle Marx. The church was restored in 2018 and 2019 and forms part of the Pampulha Modern Ensemble, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016.
Highlights
- Four parabolic concrete vaults instead of a conventional nave
- Azulejo panels by Cândido Portinari on the outer walls
- Portinari's painted Saint Francis behind the altar
- Garden laid out by Roberto Burle Marx beside the lake
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