Basilica and Convent of Nossa Senhora do Carmo, Roman Catholic basilica in Santo Antônio, Recife, Brazil.
The Basilica and Convent of Nossa Senhora do Carmo is a Roman Catholic church in the Santo Antônio neighborhood that reflects Portuguese architectural traditions and heritage. The structure features multiple altars inside, decorative carved details on its facade, and ceramic tile work throughout its interior spaces.
Captain Diogo Cavalcanti Vasconcelos began the church in 1665, paying for the main chapel himself without the royal licence, granted only on 8 March 1687. The convent was finished in 1730, the nave in 1742, the bell hung in 1754 and the facade completed in 1767. In 1817 Governor Luís do Rego Barreto turned the convent into a barracks and hospital; it returned to the Carmelites in 1846.
In 1909 Our Lady of Mount Carmel was proclaimed patroness of Recife, and on 21 September 1919 she was canonically crowned by decree of Pope Benedict XV. The Carmelites held Brazil's first feast in her honour in 1584, after founding their first convent in Olinda. The jacaranda choir stalls and six panels of saints above them were restored in the 2001 works.
The complex stands in Santo Antônio, Recife's historic centre, with the church entrance on the Largo do Carmo. The left bell tower rises about 50 metres in four storeys, so it is visible from several surrounding streets. The interior was reopened on 6 July 2001 after three years of restoration that stripped later repainting from the carvings.
In the church courtyard the head of Zumbi dos Palmares, leader of the Quilombo dos Palmares, was displayed until it decomposed completely. Frei Caneca took his religious vows and was ordained a priest here, and is believed to be buried in the convent, though the exact spot is unknown.
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