Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Rosário, Catholic church in Aracati, Brazil

Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Rosário is a Catholic church in Aracati whose construction began in the early 18th century and was completed in the second half of the 19th century. Its facade has a central door flanked by two others carved with knife-point motifs and relief cushions, and displays bells, a carillon clock and the year 1785 in Roman numerals. The interior holds carved woodwork and images.

Construction began in the early years of the 18th century and was only completed in the second half of the 19th century. According to the book of the Irmandade do Santíssimo Sacramento, a chapel gave rise to the church; it had a thatched roof, a brick facade and side walls of rammed earth. The parish of Nossa Senhora do Rosário was separated from that of Russas in 1780, when the area belonged to the Diocese of Pernambuco. IPHAN listed the church together with the historic centre of Aracati in April 2000.

The full name, Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Brancos, marks it as the church of the white confraternity, distinct from the devotion of the enslaved. In front stands a large cruzeiro whose carvings show the instruments of the Passion — dice, hand, rooster, cup of gall, lance, ladder and crown of thorns — placed by Rufina, wife of José Ferreira da Silva, in 1859.

The building is centrally located on Praça da Matriz, making it easy to reach and identify when walking through the town center. Its open plaza setting makes it a natural landmark for orienting yourself while exploring Aracati.

In front of the church stands a large stone cross, the cruzeiro, carved with the symbols of the Passion: dice, a hand, a rooster, the cup of gall, a lance, a ladder and a crown of thorns. A plaque records that Rufina, a lady of José Ferreira da Silva, placed it there in 1859. It was rebuilt in 1981 on the 1871 model, with a pedestal following the 1821 design and keeping its oval baroque form.