Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim, Salvador
| Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim | |
|---|---|
| Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim | |
Main façade of the Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim
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 Location of the Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim in Brazil
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| Basic information | |
| Geographic coordinates | 12°55′25″S 38°30′29″W / 12.923743°S 38.508093°W |
| Affiliation | Catholic |
| Rite | Roman |
| Municipality | Salvador |
| State | Bahia |
| Country | Brazil |
| Designated | 1998 |
| Reference no. | 122 |
The Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim (Portuguese: Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim) is the most famous of the Catholic churches of Salvador, in the State of Bahia, Brazil. It was built in the 18th century on a hill in the Itapagipe Peninsula, in the lower town of Salvador. The church is the subject of intense religious devotion by the people of Salvador and is the site of a famous celebration held every year in January (Festa do Senhor do Bonfim).
The church is the Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bonfim.
The veneration of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim (Our Lord of the Good End, represented by the crucified Jesus in the moment of his death) is an old tradition in Portugal that was imported to Brazil during colonial times. In 1740, while pursuing a vow, Portuguese captain Teodósio Rodrigues de Faria brought a statue of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim from Setúbal (Portugal) to Salvador. Some years later a religious brotherhood (irmandade) dedicated to Our Lord of Bonfim was founded and a church to house the statue - the current Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim - began being built on top of Montserrat hill, in the Itapagipe peninsula, in the lower town of Salvador. The church was inaugurated in 1754, with the towers being finished around 1772.
The façade of the church is two-dimensional, with a central body flanked by two towers. The windows and specially the elaborate volutes of the gable on top of the façade follow a Rococo (late Baroque) design. The lower parts of the façade were covered by Portuguese white tiles (azulejos) in 1873.
The inner decoration of the church was only finished in the 19th century. The Neoclassical main altarpiece, which has the form of a baldachin with a cupola sustained by volutes, was carved and probably also designed by sculptor Antônio Joaquim dos Santos between 1813 and 1814. The lateral walls of the single-aisled nave are decorated with several altarpieces.
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