The city of Serro, known in its early days as the former Vila do Príncipe do Serro Frio, was the seat of one of the first four districts of the Captaincy of Minas Gerais.

A city with preserved colonial architecture, its streets are characterised by the characteristics of the eighteenth-century cities of Minas Gerais.

These characteristics earned it the recognition of being the first Brazilian municipality to have its architectural and urban complex listed by the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) in April 1938.

Overshadowed by Diamantina, Serro has a life of its own, treasures of colonial architecture and a still green environment.

Its churches are characterised by their simple facades (wood and rammed earth are the techniques used in construction) and luxurious interiors.

More than the carvings, the paintings on the ceilings stand out, especially those of Silvestre de Almeida Lopes, a great local painter.

The churches are closed most of the time and only open for mass at irregular times.

Finally, it’s worth remembering that Serro produces a unique type of cheese, light and soft in texture, considered one of the best in the country.

History of Serro MG

The history of the town of Serro dates back to 1702, when the Arraial do Ribeirão das Minas de Santo Antônio do Bom Retiro do Serro do Frio began, the date of the first gold mines in the region.

There, several ranches were built near the streams, forming the arraiais of Baixo and Cima, which developed and together gave rise to the village of Serro do Frio.

The name is attributed to the Tupi-Guarani Indians and comes from the word Ivituruí (ivi = wind, turi = hill, huí = cold).

The unregulated exploitation of the first decade of the 18th century led to the creation of the post of superintendent of the region’s gold mines.

And because of its growth, in 1714 Arraial was promoted to Vila and given the name of Vila do Príncipe.

Later, miners discovered diamond mines in the region.

To defend Portuguese interests, in 1720 the large district of Serro Frio was created, which became the largest district in Minas Gerais, with its seat in Vila do Príncipe.

After the discovery of diamonds, various restrictions were imposed on gold mining in the region, culminating in the creation of the Casa de Fundição, which received all the region’s gold production..

The urbanisation process of Serro was determined by the gold and diamond mining.

It’s worth noting that the town still retains its urban and architectural image, similar to that of the 18th and 19th centuries, characterised by long streets, green areas and buildings.

The town of Serro has a homogeneous ensemble of colonial architecture, of which two examples stand out:

• Casa dos Otoni – built in the 18th century, with a wooden structure, it has extensive grounds and a semi-detached form, with a balcony and balustrade, wooden floor and matting, and today houses the Casa dos Otoni Regional Museum.
• Chácara do Barão – Built in the second half of the 19th century in wood and rammed earth, it is also notable for the stone work on the benches and the soapstone oven, as well as the stone tanks, part of the water supply system.

The religious buildings, built from the second half of the 18th century, used the construction systems of the mining era – timber and rammed earth, earth – and follow the style of chapels and parish churches in Minas Gerais from the first decades of the 18th century, consisting of rectangular plans, straight frontispieces and square towers with tiled roofs, that tend towards the straight line.

However, it is possible to observe the insertion of elements typical of the region, such as glasses placed under the gable and side annexes, often added later to house sacristies, consistories or storerooms.

Some other churches or chapels are distinguished by the use of a single central tower or by the absence of towers.

These include:

• The Parish Church of Our Lady of the Conception – built of wood and rammed earth, with decorative paintings and rococo ornamentation;
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church;
• Church of Bom Jesus de Matozinhos.

Visiting the city of Serro

A stroll through the streets of Serro is a trip back in time.

As in all the historic towns of Minas Gerais, all you need are flat, comfortable shoes to walk the cobbles and your breath to get up and down the stairs.

Among the city houses, look out for João Pinheiro ‘s(Rua Luiz Advíncula Reis, s/n, Centro), a well-preserved mid-19th century sobrado, and Pedro Lessa ‘s (r. Antônio Honório Pires, 38, Centro), from the same period.

Away from the centre, in the Quatro Vinténs neighbourhood, is the luxurious Chácara do Barão do Serro (Rua da Real Fundição do Ouro, s/n), the home of an important local politician in the 19th century.

The building, surrounded by beautiful old imperial palm trees and restored by the State Institute of Historical Heritage, is characterised by its angled sash windows and the three beautiful stone benches, similar to armchairs, on the veranda.

Points of interest in Serro, Minas Gerais

1. Chapel of Santa Rita
2. Parish Church of Our Lady of the Conception
3. Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary
4. Church of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos
5. Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
6. Casa dos Otoni Regional Museum
7. Itambé Peak

1. Chapel of Santa Rita

Located on the highest point in the city centre, from where you can see the entire Historic Centre and the Pico do Itambé, it is reached by a large Stone Staircase, one of the postcards of Serro.

The chapel was built in 1745 but has undergone several renovations.

The building dates from the 18th century, although the exact date is uncertain. In the 19th century it underwent successive renovations, which characterise its present chamfered façade.

Inside, the simplicity of the marble decorations and the altarpiece of São Sebastião, commissioned by Ensign Ângelo Martins de Siqueira, father of the legendary Ana D’África, stand out.

The church is located at the top of a long staircase, from where you can see the Pico do Itambé, at a height of 2044 metres, and a panoramic view of the historic centre of Serro.

The architect Silvio de Vasconcelos visited this cemetery and, surrounded by a flock of swallows, recorded his famous sentence: “Serro, an enchanted city that has stopped in time”.

In the central tower there is a clock from Paris that is in perfect working order.
Address: Praça João Pessoa, s/n.

2. Mother Church of Our Lady of the Conception

One of the most beautiful religious monuments in the Diamond Region, this church was built in 1776 on the site of an old chapel dating from 1713.

The façade is simple, with two side towers; inside, however, the Baroque exuberance is revealed in the large relief depicting the Holy Trinity surrounded by angels and cherubs on the altarpiece of the high altar.

The Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Conceição is the main church in the city of Serro, Minas Gerais.

Listed by the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage, it is one of the largest baroque churches in the state and has the tallest wooden towers of any colonial church in Minas Gerais.

Saint-Hilaire described it as “one of the most beautiful and grandest he had seen in the entire province of Minas”. It was probably in this temple that Maestro Lobo de Mesquita practised his first musical chords.

In the pulpit, the solid silver chandelier stands out.
Address: Ladeira do Pelourinho, s/n.

3. Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary

Little is officially known about the history of this small chapel, built in the 19th century, possibly out of devotion by free blacks or slaves, as suggested by some of its architectural features.

It is valued for its location in a lovely landscape, on top of a hill with a wide view over the valley and mountains that make up the Pico do Itambé massif.

The building, which dates from 1759, is very simple and unadorned; next to it is the Cemetery of the Confraternity.

Although its original lines have been distorted, the chapel occupies an important place in the town, as it is the site of the Rosário Festival, with performances of congadas, reisados and other traditional folk dances.
Address: Largo do Rosário, s/n.

4. Church of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos

Situated on a hillside at the confluence of General Pedra and Matozinhos streets, this church was built at the end of the 18th century, although the lack of documentary sources does not allow us to historicise the various stages of its construction.

The exact date of construction is therefore unknown, as is the authorship of the architectural design and the ornamental work.

The first information we have about this church comes from the historian Canon Raimundo Trindade, who reports that its founder was Lieutenant José Ferreira de Vila Nova Ivo, who justified the institution in court in 1781.

Aires da Mata Machado, in his 1941 research report for IPHAN, claims to have found a reference to the existence of this church in a settlement book dated 1785.

However, historians believe that the most concrete date for the history of this church in the 18th century is 1797, inscribed on a medallion in the painting of the chancel ceiling, which attests to the advanced stage of construction – at least of this part of the building – as it refers to the completion of the interior decoration.

The Baroque ornamentation is mainly found in the throne arch.

The painting of the patron saint on the ceiling is attributed to Silvestre de Almeida Lopes, one of the region’s greatest artists in the late 1700s.
Address: Praça Cristiano Otoni, s/n.

5. Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Work on this church lasted from 1768 to 1780, but over the next century many renovations altered its façade.

The church was built on the initiative of the local Third Order of Carmelites, which broke away from the Carmelite Brotherhood of Tijuco arraial to form an autonomous order in Vila do Príncipe.

In 1768, the brothers received from the Senate of the City Council the land on which to build the church.

In 1780, work on the façade was already underway, and in June of that year the work on the towers was agreed with the master, José da Silva Ribeiro.

On July 20th the following year the church was consecrated, which suggests that the work was practically finished.

However, probably due to the precariousness and fragility of the materials used – rammed earth and wood – the building soon had to be rebuilt and/or altered. Thus, throughout most of the 19th century, the church underwent numerous interventions aimed at improving its stability.

The highlight of the current one is the painted wooden medallion above the doorway, an exception to the characteristic sobriety of the exterior of Serro’s churches.

The interior decoration, which is harmonious, combines the rococo style of the side altars with the neoclassical style visible in the more recent high altar.
Address: Praça João Pinheiro, s/n.

6. Casa dos Otoni Regional Museum

The house where Teófilo Otoni, political leader and businessman, was born was built in the 18th century in rammed earth.

Restored and converted into a museum, it also houses the Regional Office of the Iphan.

The collection includes religious pieces and everyday objects that reconstruct daily life in the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as official documents from the colonial period.
Address: Praça Cristiano Otoni, 72, Centro.

7. Itambé Peak

The highest point of the Serra do Espinhaço, the 2002 metre high peak is located in the State Park of the same name and can be reached from the districts of Capivari (39 kilometres by car on a precarious dirt road, (39 kilometres by car, (39 kilometres by car, plus 5 kilometres of easy walking) or Alto do Jequitinhonha (30 kilometres, also on a precarious dirt road, plus 8 kilometres of easy walking) or Alto do Jequitinhonha (30 kilometres, also on a precarious dirt road, plus 8 kilometres of easy walking).

There are several waterfalls and swimming pools on the way up.

Guide to Serro in Minas Gerais

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