Mission Museum, Historical museum in São Miguel das Missões, Brazil.
The Mission Museum displays religious artifacts and sculptures within a glass-walled pavilion built from materials salvaged from the original mission ruins. The collection holds works created during the Jesuit missionary work in this region.
The architect Lúcio Costa was sent to Rio Grande do Sul in 1937, the year SPHAN was created, to assess the remains of the Sete Povos das Missões. He proposed a museum for the scattered Guarani-Jesuit statuary, and the museum building was erected between 1938 and 1940, opening officially in 1940. The site and building were listed as national heritage in 1938.
The collection displays statues and objects that reflect the encounters between Jesuit missionaries and the Guarani people during colonial times.
The museum stands near the Church of São Miguel Arcanjo ruins, so visitors can explore architectural and religious artifacts in one location. The glass-walled pavilion protects the displays from the elements while keeping the ruin and museum closely connected.
The museum was conceived as an open shelter for religious works, and transparent glass panels were added soon after. A tornado on 26 April 2016 almost completely destroyed the building, its glass walls and 83 Jesuit statues. The museum became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis" in 1984.
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