Cathedral of Brasília, Catholic cathedral in Brasília, Brazil
The Cathedral of Brasília is a concrete house of worship in the Brazilian capital, distinguished by its open crown shape. Sixteen curved columns meet at the top and enclose a circular floor plan roughly 70 meters across.
Architect Oscar Niemeyer designed the building in the late 1950s as part of the plan for the new capital city. Consecration took place only 12 years after construction started, after political shifts delayed the project.
The cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of Brasília and is dedicated to Our Lady of Aparecida, patron saint of Brazil. At the entrance, a pillar shows passages from the life of Mary painted by Athos Bulcão, and the oval baptistery walls are covered in tiles he painted in 1977. The Way of the Cross is by Di Cavalcanti, and the altar was donated by Pope Paul VI.
Access to the cathedral is free and visits typically last about 30 minutes. The best time to come is late morning or early afternoon when daylight passes through the glass panels.
The stained glass panels were designed by French-Brazilian artist Marianne Peretti and executed in shades of blue, green, white and brown. Three large angel figures hang from the ceiling on steel cables and appear to float above visitors' heads.
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