Igreja e Hospício de Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, church in Salvador, Bahia
Igreja e Hospício de Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem is a baroque church and hospice complex built in the early 1700s on the Itapagipe Peninsula overlooking the Bay of All Saints. The church originally had one nave with side aisles but was later expanded to three naves, while housing carved wooden altars, Lisbon tiles from the mid-1700s, and jacaranda wood furnishings in the sacristy.
Construction began in the early 1700s with a single-nave church design accompanied by a hospice for caring for the sick, though the exact founder remains disputed between accounts of a landowner and a Portuguese woman. The building underwent significant interior modifications in 1912 when internal walls were removed to expand the space and create three naves.
The church is named after Our Lady of Good Voyage and reflects its connection to seafarers and maritime protection in colonial times. Visitors can sense this bond today through the location facing the bay, where the spiritual purpose of the building connects directly to the daily concerns of those who built and used it.
The site sits at the tip of the Itapagipe Peninsula in a quiet neighborhood with minimal traffic and direct views of the bay waters. The setting offers shaded areas for walking around the grounds, and visiting in late afternoon allows you to see the facade and tiles lit by sunlight at their best.
The tower houses four bells, with the oldest dating to 1810, which ring on special occasions and carry their deep tones across the bay waters. These bells have marked significant moments in the community's life for over two centuries and create a sound that residents associate with the rhythm of the peninsula.
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