Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Belém)

It was restored in 2015 on the initiative of the Archdiocese of Belém do Pará in partnership with Vale and the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN).

Initially, they built a small chapel in the first place they settled and later, on May 31, 1627, they established themselves on land located on North Street, now Siqueira Mendes, in an area known as Alagadiço da Juçara.

The land, which was donated by Captain Major Bento Maciel Parente, included his residence, a wattle and daub country house.

The ceiling of the central nave was painted sky blue with gold stars, and the walls and altarpieces were decorated in the scagliola method, an inheritance of a practice already carried out by Landi in the 18th century.

In 1891, after the death of Friar Caetano de Santa Rita Serejo, the last Carmelite still living in the north of Brazil, the Order was definitively extinguished in Pará; its assets remained under the jurisdiction of the bishops.

In 1930, Father Angelo Cerri, with the support of Dom Irineu Joffily, bishop of Pará, brought the Salesian Order to administer the church and occupy the convent, where they still maintain a primary and secondary school.

[11][12][7] The project involved the complete restoration of the roof, elimination of numerous infiltrations, cleaning of the lioz facade, restoration of the parietal paintings, overhaul of the electrical system and installation of complementary projects that are essential for the safety of the building, such as the Fire Fighting and Atmospheric Discharge Protection Systems (SPDA), as well as the Closed Circuit TV (CCTV).

The result was satisfactory, as the procedure removed much of the dirt and the aged protective film from the stones, without altering the natural appearance of the material.

[5] The facade, marked by Tuscan pilasters, has a central structure divided into two floors and three panels, topped by a mixed pediment with pinnacles in the shape of vases with fireplaces.

According to Mendonça, its typology, divided by a narthex and framed by side towers, was common to the churches of Carmelite and Franciscan convents, a strong tradition in Portugal and Brazil.

In front of the altarpiece, there is a wooden altar covered in Portuguese silver, full of symbolic decorative elements alluding to the Virgin Mary.

Plan of Belém from 1771, with the Church of Mount Carmel highlighted.
Longitudinal section of Landi's project, with the unbuilt dome roof solution replacing the previous baroque altar.
Schematic floor plan of the church. (Green - Church; Yellow - Adoration chapel; Pink - Chapel of the Third Order; Purple - Annex; Grey - Carmel College)