Lens-Artists Challenge #394: History Through the Lens
John sets this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge. In his post, he shares one of my favorite pastimes when traveling. Like him, I also enjoy “photography and historic sites.” I’ve never encountered a church or UNESCO site without exploring its rich traditions. So, I am taking you on a brief visit to Brazil’s Convent of St. Francis in Olinda, Pernambuco.
If you’ve only got a few hours in the Recife area and you love old stones with stories to tell, point yourself up the hill to Olinda. It’s a short hop from the city — maybe fifteen minutes on a good traffic day — and once you’re there, it feels like someone left a 16th-century stage set out in the sun.
Olinda was founded in 1535, back when sugar cane was the oil of its day, and Pernambuco was printing money for the Portuguese crown. The whole historic center — cobbled streets, pastel façades, something like twenty baroque churches, plus convents, chapels, and more lush gardens than you can photograph in an afternoon — was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. Climb up a little, and the Atlantic opens up behind you, with Recife’s skyline shimmering in the distance. It’s honestly one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Brazil, and it doesn’t feel like a museum — people still live there.
The reason I made the trip was the Convento de São Francisco. This is the birthplace of the Franciscan order in Brazil — the very first one. Friar Melchior de Santa Catarina and his brothers laid the first stones in 1585, and for a while everything went well. Then the Dutch arrived. During the Dutch occupation of Pernambuco, the convent was burned down in 1631, and what you see today is mostly the reconstruction that began later in the 17th century and kept getting dressed up through the 1700s.
Walking in, the first thing that grabs you is the cloister. The entire lower gallery is wrapped in blue-and-white azulejos — Portuguese tiles shipped across the Atlantic — telling the life of St. Francis of Assisi, panel by panel. You can literally follow his story around the courtyard like a comic strip in porcelain. Upstairs, you’ll find the old friars’ quarters and a library that smells exactly like you’d hope.
Then you step into the church of Nossa Senhora das Neves and the Capela de São Roque and — whoa. This is peak Brazilian Baroque. Gold-leafed wood carvings climbing every wall, a painted ceiling filled with saints in medallions, and altarpieces so intricate they look like someone embroidered them out of light. It’s quiet, cool, and a little overwhelming in the best way.
Between the tiles, the gold, and the courtyard that has seen everything since 1585, the Convent of St. Francis is basically a walk-through highlight reel of Brazilian colonial history. Don’t rush it. Bring a camera, and leave the zoom lens at the hotel — everything interesting is closer than you think.
It was so much fun to see your beautiful photos for Sofia’s Lucky Shot challenge last week. I hope you will join John’s challenge, too. Please don’t forget to use the “lens-artists” hashtag in your posts to help people find your wonderful challenge entries.
Next week, Beth will feature a new challenge. It will go live at noon EST in the USA. Tune in to find out more about the challenge then. Please see this page for more information about the Lens-Artists Challenge and its history. If you don’t want to miss any future challenges, please consider subscribing to the team members’ websites. Here they are:
- Tina of Travels and Trifles.
- Patti of P.A. Moed.
- Ann-Christine of Leya.
- John of Journeys with Johnbo.
- Anne of Slow Shutter Speed.
- Sofia of Photographias.
- Egídio of Through Brazilian Eyes.
- Ritva of Ritva Sillanmäki Photography.
- Beth of Wandering Dawgs.
That is the story behind the shots. If you liked this post, you may also be interested in others featuring Brazil, Churches, Convent of St. Francis of Olinda, Lens-Artists, Olinda, Pernambuco, and UNESCO World Heritage. Until the next time, keep clicking and capturing the beauty your eyes find.
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Anita
Such a beautiful and immersive journey through history Egidio. I’m truly impressed by these buildings and how well you convey their story. The meeting of blue tiles and golden details creates a rich yet gentle atmosphere. It must be amazing to have experienced this in real life.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Anita. Whenever we visit a new place, we always enjoy visiting churches and other historical settings. It’s always fascinating to walk the same ground that our ancestors used.
Steve Schwartzman
Your pictures make clear why UNESCO declared the Convento de São Francisco a World Heritage Site.
Knowing nothing about the history you mentioned, I turned to the internet: “The Dutch occupation of Pernambuco (1630–1654) was a 24-year period where the Dutch West India Company (WIC) controlled Brazil’s richest sugar-producing region, known as ‘New Holland.’ Led by the WIC, the Dutch seized Recife and Olinda to dominate the Atlantic sugar trade, resulting in a ‘golden age’ under Johan Maurits (1636–1644) before being expelled.”
Egidio Leitao
Steve, thanks for the comment. The Dutch control in the Brazilian northeast left good results. The architecture in Recife, for example, is a clear example of that. The summary you found on the internet gave you a good idea of that.
restlessjo
You know that living where I do I’m well used to beautiful churches and monasteries, Egidio, but this one really is extraordinary, and presented so beautifully by you. I would love to visit South America to see some of the Portuguese and Spanish influences. Sadly it’s very unlikely to happen, but I can come back here any time. Thank you. It’s glorious xx
Egidio Leitao
Jo, I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. The churches in Portugal are truly beautiful, too. I think the ones in Brazil were modeled after those. I’m happy the post provided you with a way to “visit” that church I featured in my post. Thanks for your wonderful comment. xx
carabeinsplash
Wow! The art, the gilding, the architecture are all stunning! Great photos Egidio.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks so much, Cara. It’s a wonderful place to view and explore.
Leanne Cole
Wow that place looks amazing Egidio. It must have been great walking around it.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Leanne. We loved exploring that convent.
Tranature - quiet moments in nature
What a fabulous place to visit Egídio, I love the vibrant colours and sense of sanctuary 😊
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Xenia. I’m happy you liked it.
Toonsarah
Wow, what a beautiful place! I love the cloisters in particular 🙂 I also loved your description of Olinda: ‘someone left a 16th-century stage set out in the sun’.
Egidio Leitao
Glad you liked it, Sarah. When we were in Portugal, the cloisters were our favorite places, too.
photobyjohnbo
I saw another’s post yesterday showing the beautiful blue and white tiles in a church they visited. I commented that I’d seen a church with the same style of tiles. I didn’t mention where, because I couldn’t remember where I saw them.
From your first four images, I now realize it was Olinda where I saw the tiles. Our excursion at Recife culminated at a stop to see the beautiful church. It’s on my list to find the photos from that journey to confirm what my memory already knows.
Egidio Leitao
Glad you have been there. Thanks for a great theme and your feedback here.
Sofia Alves
I had a look at Olinda and now I’d love to see how you captured the city too. Wonderful photos, Egídio and I enjoyed reading about this fascinating place.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the feedback, Sofia. I’ll have to look at other photos I took around Olinda.
margaret21
What an astonishing place. The blue tiles are an inspired way of treating an outside space subject to both rain (perhaps?) and strong sunlight. A beautiful site.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for commenting, Margaret. I had not thought about the benefit of tiles outside. Your assessment makes sense.
PR
It’s so grandiose inside! Great courtyard too..I also love taking pictures of the courtyards in such places..
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the comment, PR. The Portuguese liked grandiosity.
Teresa
These are all beautiful.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Teresa.
Anne Sandler
What beauty you’ve captured through your lens Egidio. I especially liked the courtyard and ceilings. Most of all I enjoyed the history.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Anne. It’s a beautiful place.