Capela de Santo Antônio do Engenho Novo, Colonial chapel in Goiana, Brazil.
Capela de Santo Antônio do Engenho Novo is a colonial chapel in Goiana built on a former sugar plantation estate. The structure features three main facades and three doorways opening into a single nave with a wooden choir loft.
The chapel was founded in the 16th century on a sugar plantation owned by André Vidal de Negreiros, a military and political leader. Later additions introduced neogothic design elements that transformed the original structure over time.
The chapel reveals how faith and local power were connected in colonial times through its design and contents. The wooden choir inside shows how worship was structured for both the community and those of higher status.
The chapel is located within the grounds of Usina Nossa Senhora das Maravilhas, surrounded by sugarcane fields and fruit trees in a rural setting. Getting there requires traveling inland from the coast, so planning ahead for transportation is helpful.
The building gained official protection as a national heritage site in 1938, recognizing its importance as an early example of Portuguese construction in the region. This designation helped ensure its preservation for future generations.
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