Sponsorship

This exhibition is the result of seven months of historical research on the events related to the Church of Our Lady of Lapa dos Mercadores and its surroundings over the past 300 years.

We delved into the collections of national and international research centers, museums, and private collections to, along with a detailed analysis of the documentary materials held by the Brotherhood, tell a story that begins in Portugal over a thousand years ago and continues to be written here since 1750.

Church of Our Lady of Lapa dos Mercadores

EXHIBITION CREDITS

Original Idea and Historical Consulting

Claudio André P. de Castro

Administrative Commissioner 2023-2026

Design, Text, and Images

Carlos André Gomes

carlosandregomes.com

Sponsorship

Diário do Rio

Sergio Castro Imóveis

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The devotion to Our Lady of Lapa was born in distant Portugal. During the Lusitania invasion in 988 by Almansor and his violent soldiers, the nuns of the Quintela convent, terrified by the barbaric approach, fled, leaving the image of the Virgin in a cave.

Centuries later, Joana, a deaf girl who herded her family's flock, found the hidden image inside the cave. When her mother saw that her daughter was carrying a "doll" in her hands, she asked for the image and threatened to throw it into the fire. At that moment, the child, regaining her speech, explained what had happened. The woman was suffering from an incurable paralysis in her right arm at that time.

One day, mother and daughter decided to return the image to the "lapa" (a word that means "cave") from where it had been taken. They headed there and, placing the saint in her place, knelt at her feet; at that very moment, the paralysis disappeared. In 1498, a temple was built on the same stones in that cave. In the 17th century, the Jesuits decided to build a new sanctuary on the site, where the veneration of Our Lady of Lapa continues to this day.

CAPTIONS

Top left:

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lapa — at the center of the image —, Sernancelhe, Portugal.

Left:

Interior of the sanctuary, constructed to house the lapa where the original image of Our Lady of Lapa was found — on display at the top of the rock.

Above, top right:

ZURBARÁN, Francisco. Portrait of Almansor (1549-1603), Madrid, Private Collection.

Fleeing from Almansor's troops in 988, the nuns of the Quintela convent decided to hide the image of the Virgin under the stone where it remained for centuries. Later, a sanctuary of Our Lady of Lapa was built on the site.

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PANEL 2

Around 1700, anyone passing through the vicinity of Rua da Cruz – the old name for Rua do Ouvidor, in the stretch between Rua 1º de Março and the sea – at twilight would have their attention drawn to a large gathering of people standing at the corner of an existing alley. Paying closer attention, they would even hear a soft murmur of prayer. These were the merchants who gathered here to praise the Virgin of Lapa.

In the corner of this alley – now known as Travessa do Comércio – there was a public oratory erected by the peddlers who worked in the vicinity. Simple people, but full of faith, who chose Our Lady of Lapa as their patron and, at that modest yet illuminated altar, worshiped the saint, whom they called "the Peddlers' Virgin." Few people know that at that time, oratories were the only things left lit on the street at night.

In 1750, other merchants with greater resources had built a chapel on the corner opposite the oratory, and it was dedicated to Our Lady of Lapa dos Mercadores. This established the worship of the same saint in two different, albeit nearby, locations by the merchants.

As time went by, more and more people frequented the chapel, while those who prayed at the oratory diminished. This led to misunderstandings, provocations, and disputes that always culminated on the day of the patron saint's celebration, forcing the intervention of authorities to calm the agitated.

In an effort to pacify the situation, the faithful who prayed at the oratory decided to end their worship and transfer the images they possessed to the merchants' chapel. Thus, on August 12, 1812, with the transfer of the images of Our Lady of Lapa, the Child Jesus, and Saint Anne, as well as vestments and ornaments to the sanctuary of the Brotherhood of the Merchants, the devotion to the niche came to an end.

But let's go back to the beginning. The shopkeepers in the vicinity of Rua da Cruz decided to organize themselves into a Brotherhood and build their own temple to Our Lady of Lapa. So, on June 20, 1747, they gathered to begin this noble undertaking.

Contributing their personal belongings and receiving donations and alms, they were able to amass a considerable sum. The first step was to buy three buildings on the same land. After these buildings were demolished, the foundations for the temple were laid in December 1747. The masonry stone was obtained from Ilha das Cobras, the granite from Pedreira da Glória, and the marble portals from lioz were imported from Portugal.

They worked with such dedication and interest that, by 1750, the essential part for conducting religious ceremonies was already completed. So much so that on August 6 of that year, the consecration of the temple took place with a royal provision from King Dom José I. From 1753 to 1755, the works were completed, with the highlight being the closure of the dome, on which a large marble statue of Our Lady of Faith, measuring 13 palms, was placed. Around it, in niches on the facade, are the images of Saint Felix, Saint John of Mata, Saint Bernard, and Saint Adrian, all from Lisbon.

Between these last two, there is a large marble medallion, artistically worked, representing the crowning of the Virgin, found during the excavations that were made on the site, and which was later discovered to have been hidden from the invasion of the French. Above it is the clock, and following that, the tower with a carillon of 12 bells – the first of its kind in Brazil, later donated to the church by the Baron of Lagoa.

Facing Rua do Ouvidor, a spacious galilee serves as the entrance and access to the nave. In the past, its openings were open; since 1861, it has been closed with iron grilles. All the carving work in the temple is by Antônio de Pádua e Castro, and the stucco work belongs to Antônio Alves Meira, artists praised by all the masters who came to appreciate them.

A beautiful crystal and silver-plated chandelier hangs from the ceiling, illuminating the entire nave. The entire ceiling of the chancel is adorned with splendid paintings. Four panels stand out on the walls, depicting the Birth of Christ, the Marriage of the Virgin, the Flight into Egypt, and the Meeting of Our Lady with

Saint Elizabeth. These marvelous paintings are the work of the artist Francisco Luiz Garcia Sanches. In short, the temple is a true spectacle of beauty and preservation.

In 1840, Emperor Dom Pedro II himself signed the Commitment of the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Lapa dos Mercadores, the statute that governs this association of the faithful, the owner of the temple to this day. In the 19th century, a significant step for the church took place with the expansion of the building, nicknamed the "Little Church of the Merchants."

The Navy Revolt in 1893 did not leave Lapa dos Mercadores unscathed. A projectile fired by the battleship "Aquidabã" at the city hit the high spire, destroying it and knocking down the statue of Our Lady of Faith. The dome shattered, and the statue fell into the middle of Rua do Ouvidor. Inexplicably, despite its great height and enormous weight, the damage it suffered was minor – only two fingers and a small piece of the base were broken.

Today, the statue is here in the Atrium of Faith, in the same condition it was rescued from the rubble of the bell tower in 1893, and within a niche carved into the wall, the artifact is preserved, both under the skylight that was one of the largest of its time, and the blue stained glass with the insignia of our Brotherhood.

The old little church was closed in 2020. But with a new administration that began in 2023, it underwent extensive restoration. On June 10, it reopened its doors. Its bells rang once again, and after 101 years of being still, its clock started working. Resilient like downtown Rio, the Brotherhood of the Patroness of Carioca Merchants is alive and once again a beacon of culture and faith in our city.

OUR HISTORY IN IMAGES

CAPTIONS

HILDEBRANDT, Eduard. Rua do Ouvidor, Rio de Janeiro, 1844. Watercolor on paper - 36 x 25.8 cm.

Rua do Ouvidor, with highlights of the churches N.Sra. da Lapa dos Mercadores, on the left, and Santa Cruz do Militares, on the right.

FERREZ, Marc, circa 1895, Gilberto Ferrez Collection/Instituto Moreira Salles.

Highlighting the new bell tower, built after the bombardment. In the side street, the area of the former oratory.

Top left:

FERREZ, Marc. Aquidabam, [Baía de Guanabara: battleship]. Rio de Janeiro, RJ: [s.n.], [1894]. 1 photo, gelatin, b&w, 33 x 52 cm on card support: 50 x 65 cm.

Top right:

DE MARTINO, Eduardo. The Revolt in Brazil, Overview of the Bay and Village of Rio during the First Bombardment of the City by the Rebel Forces of Admiral Mello. Illustration for The Graphic, October 14, 1893; See and Learn / Illustrated Paper Collection.

Handing over the church keys to the new commissioner, Dr. Claudio André P. de Castro, the first on the left; in the center, former Superintendent of IPHAN, Mr. Olav Schrader; on the right, representing the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro, Father Silmar Alves Fernandes. March 6, 2023.

Part of the historical collection of negatives from the Brotherhood, with records of masses, baptisms, funerals, as well as events and festivities held in the Church and its surroundings. The collection is a testament to the central role of the church in the religious and social life of Rio de Janeiro in the early decades of the last century. Photographer unidentified, circa 1910-1930.