Tourism - Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary (Center)

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.