Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary - Center
The Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary in Lagoa
Santa was built in the first half of the nineteenth century, more precisely in
the period between 1819, the date of the founding of the first church in the
city, and 1859, dating the existing cross in the churchyard in front of the
chapel, which suggests completion of the works. The chapel was originally built
by blacks, residents of the Lagoa Santa region at the time of the Brazilian
empire, with the aid of lords of earth miners interested in creating
differentiated between whites and slaves in Catholic worship spaces. The chapel
was built on the foundations of another: the Chapel of Our Lady of Remedies,
possibly courtesy on the above grounds, ie, the separation of religious cults
between white masters and black slaves.
Like most of the churches located intended for
the slave population in Minas Gerais in minatory period and in the coffee
period, the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary was built in night shifts worked
by slaves, as the morning and afternoon of the day was intended only to tasks
of forced labor. Two symbols in the ceiling of the chapel corroborate this
assessment: a dark ball containing a face of the crescent and a star of eight
points. The two symbols identify both the construction of the chapel in the
evening, also with the use of this in the same period. The Chapel of the Rosary
in Lagoa Santa, for the black population, after work hours required of slavery.
The marks of the chapel are great symbolism for the perception of the slave
logic in town and Minas Gerais.
Some reforms can be observed throughout the
sesquicentennial of making of the work, following the expansion of use of the
chapel, which throughout the twentieth century changed their target audience,
incorporating the white population, and also tourism . . To that end , there
was a major restoration carried out by the city in the 90s Aiming at the
security of the site , which present a risk of collapse , were performed: painting
with blue paint liner , covering the design of the eight-pointed star , symbol
in all churches of the Rosary ; coating the internal locking beam of hardwood ;
the removal of the lining of the bamboo mat on the side of the altar rooms ;
the fencing with metal around the chapel with straight lines and modern railing
, reducing its external area and changing the perception of the whole, leaving
outside the cruise that is a symbol of the chapel. In 2005 and 2006 the roof of
the chapel was completely renovated by replacing the ceramic tiles.
Previously to that in the 70s the Chapel of
Our Lady of the Rosary received several objects derived from the reform of the
Church Our Lady of Health , the tabernacle, for example , comes from the Mother
Church , composing a new look to the church setting .
The Chapel is always the scene of traditional
town festivals. In May and June, celebrates the Feast of the Divine, and in
October, it has been the festival of Our Lady of the Rosary , patroness of
blacks and slaves .
The Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary is
administered by the Parish of Our Lady of Health, currently administered by the
Father: Sebastian Rodrigues Acacio. In October 2009 the church was invaded and
looted. From November a security system was installed with alarms for the
safety of mobile and integrated assets that the Church has as part of its
history and its culture.
The little church, as it is affectionately
called by the pond Santo's population was listed as public assets through
Decree No. 234 of April 2001, and remains nowadays as one of the most important
historical assets of Lagoa Santa.
Location (address): Rua Marechal Deodoro da Fonseca,
s/nº – Centro - Lagoa Santa – MG.
