Sticking out like a sore thumb amid the 18th-century streets of Congonhas, this striking modernist museum houses replicas of Aleijadinho's The Prophets, along with displays about his soapstone carving technique and Congonhas' history as a pilgrimage site. There's also a mixed collection of religious and modern artwork.
Museu de Congonhas
Minas Gerais
Contact
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Igreja de São Francisco de Assis
24.68 MILES
This exquisite church is Brazil's most important piece of colonial art, after Aleijadinho’s masterpiece The Prophets in Congonhas. Its entire exterior was…
-
0.06 MILES
Already an old man, sick and crippled, Aleijadinho sculpted The Prophets between 1800 and 1805. Symmetrically placed in front of the Basílica do Bom Jesus…
-
24.39 MILES
On the southwestern side of town, this is Brazil's second most opulent church (after Salvador’s São Francisco). It has 434kg of gold and silver and is one…
-
24.53 MILES
This 18th-century treasury building still retains its historic foundry, where gold was melted down and formed into bars under the watchful eye of the…
-
28.53 MILES
Halfway between Ouro Preto and Mariana, this ancient gold mine was founded by the Portuguese in 1719 and definitively decommissioned in 1985. Guided tours…
-
24.63 MILES
This historical museum is housed in Ouro Preto's old municipal headquarters and jail, an attractive building built between 1784 and 1854 on the southern…
-
Igreja de Santa Efigênia dos Pretos
25.1 MILES
Financed by gold from Chico-Rei’s mine and built by the slave community, this mid-18th-century church honors Santa Efigênia, princess of Nubia. The…
-
24.93 MILES
Near Matriz NS da Conceição de Antônio Dias is the abandoned mine of Chico-Rei. There’s little to see as you stoop through the low passageways, but it’s…
Nearby Minas Gerais attractions
0.06 MILES
Already an old man, sick and crippled, Aleijadinho sculpted The Prophets between 1800 and 1805. Symmetrically placed in front of the Basílica do Bom Jesus…
24.31 MILES
Initiated in 1762 and completed in 1823, this beautiful baroque church is the final destination for Ouro Preto's colorful Easter Sunday processions. It's…
24.39 MILES
On the southwestern side of town, this is Brazil's second most opulent church (after Salvador’s São Francisco). It has 434kg of gold and silver and is one…
4. Igreja de São Francisco de Paula
24.47 MILES
This 19th-century church, the last to be constructed during Ouro Preto's colonial period, serves as a convenient landmark, perched high on the hillside…
24.53 MILES
This 18th-century treasury building still retains its historic foundry, where gold was melted down and formed into bars under the watchful eye of the…
24.59 MILES
This museum features a fabulous collection of hand-carved oratórios – miniature home altars and portable devotional shrines dating back to the 17th…
24.6 MILES
Built between 1766 and 1772, this lovely church was a group effort by the area’s most important artists. It features a facade and two side altars by…
24.63 MILES
This historical museum is housed in Ouro Preto's old municipal headquarters and jail, an attractive building built between 1784 and 1854 on the southern…