History of the Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim in Salvador

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Nosso Senhor do Bonfim Church isn’t the most beautiful, but it’s certainly the most famous in Salvador because of the traditional ‘Lavagem do Bonfim’, a celebration marked by Bahian women throwing water on the steps of the church in an all-day party animated by afoxé groups.

Dorival Caymmi sang in one of his songs, ‘A igreja Senhor do Bonfim’, that Salvador has 365 churches, so that Bahians can celebrate their faith in a different one every day of the year.

Igreja do Nosso Senhor do Bonfim em Salvador BA
Igreja do Nosso Senhor do Bonfim in Salvador BA
Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim em Salvador BA
Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim in Salvador BA

Nobody knows for sure if this is really the number of Catholic temples in the Bahian capital, and some say there are even more.

One thing is certain: the Catholic churches built here since the city’s foundation hold stories as well as relics. They take visitors back to a past where faith and art were together on the same altar.

Salvador’s churches have a variety of styles, ranging from baroque to neoclassical.

They were built with the most diverse materials, from lioz stone to gold. Some still have oil-painted panelling and ceilings, tiles from Portugal and sacred images that are works of art.

Details that make Salvador ‘s temples much more than houses of prayer, they are monuments of inestimable artistic value.

Interior da Igreja do Nosso Senhor do Bonfim em Salvador BA
Interior of the Igreja do Nosso Senhor do Bonfim in Salvador BA

Video – History of the Church of Our Lord of Bonfim

História da Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim

History of the construction of the Church of Bonfim

The Chapel of Senhor do Bonfim, located in the city of Setúbal, Portugal, has a history dating back to the 17th century.

Capela do Senhor do Bonfim was erected in 1669 in Setúbal, Portugal, a hermitage, initially known as ‘Anjo da Guarda’ (Guardian Angel), which came to be called Igreja do Senhor do Bonfim (Church of the Lord of Bonfim).

Devotion to Senhor do Bonfim gained strength when Dom João V, in front of the image of Senhor do Bonfim, made promises to restore the health of his father, King Dom Pedro II.

Theodózio Rodrigues de Faria, a sea and war captain in the Portuguese navy and a fervent devotee, made a promise during a storm.

He swore that if he survived, he would bring the images of Senhor Jesus do Bonfim and Nossa Senhora da Guia to Brazil. So, on 18 April 1745, a replica of the image was brought from his hometown of Setúbal and the construction of the Church of Senhor do Bonfim began. At the same time, the cult of Senhor do Bonfim and Nossa Senhora da Guia also began, with the creation of the Brotherhood of the Devotion of Senhor Bom Jesus do Bonfim, recognised by Archbishop Dom José Botelho de Matos.

Lápide com o nome Theodózio Rodrigues de Faria na Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim em Salvador
Tombstone with the name Theodózio Rodrigues de Faria in the Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim in Salvador

Work on the chapel began in 1746, and on 24 June 1754, after the internal work had been completed, the sacred image was brought in procession from the Chapel of Penha to Bonfim Hill. The 6th Viceroy of Brazil took part in the celebration, along with the population, in a solemn mass.

In 1772, the work on the chapel was completed and, the following year, the liturgical feast of Bonfim was celebrated on the second Sunday of Epiphany (the second Sunday in January), with the authorisation of Archbishop Sebastião Monteiro de Vide. That same year, the tradition of washing the church began, when members of the Brotherhood forced the slaves to wash the church as part of the preparations for the feast of Senhor do Bonfim.

Igreja do Bonfim e seu entorno, em gravura de 1859
Bonfim Church and its surroundings, engraving from 1859

Over time, washing inside the church was banned and transferred to the steps and churchyard.

The ‘Lavagem do Bonfim’ ritual now includes a procession of Bahian women who walk from the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia to the top of Bonfim, carrying scented water along an eight-kilometre festival route.

The feast of Our Lady of Guia began to be celebrated on the Monday after the Senhor do Bonfim feast ended in 1792.

The famous Senhor do Bonfim ribbons were introduced in 1809. At the time, they were called ‘measures’ because they were exactly 47 centimetres long, the measurement of the right arm of the Senhor do Bonfim statue.

In 1862, the chapel was lit by carbon dioxide lamps, replacing the old lanterns.

The chapel was elevated to the category of Minor Basilica in 1927 by Pope Pius XI, and in 1975 the Museum of Ex-Votos was created, where devotees can leave objects as symbols of their faith. On 20 October 1991, Pope John Paul II visited the Basilica and prayed at the feet of Senhor do Bonfim, presenting the devotion with a silver-gilt chalice.

The church has neoclassical architecture, with a rococo façade modelled on Portuguese churches from the 18th and 19th centuries. Its beautiful frescoes and tiles make Senhor do Bonfim an icon of Bahian faith, attracting devotees, tourists and pilgrims from all over the world.

History of the Bonfim Festival

The Bonfim Festival is a reference in the affirmation of Bahian culture.

According to Iphan, the Bonfim Festival has been held since 1745 without interruption, uniting Catholicism with Afro-Brazilian tradition. Historians point out that the festivities began in the Middle Ages, with devotion to Senhor Bom Jesus, the Crucified Christ.

The celebration is part of the liturgical calendar and of the Bahian capital’s square festivals, which are mixed with profane and cultural activities. It begins the day after Santos Reis and ends on the second Sunday after Epiphany, which is Senhor do Bonfim Day.

The end of the procession, which begins at the Church of Conceição da Praia in Comércio, takes place at the Church of Senhor do Bonfim itself, where the washing of the steps takes place on the Sacred Hill. The basilica was built in the 18th century and has been listed by Iphan since 1938, in the Book of Fine Arts.

Photos of the interior of the Church of Our Lord of Bonfim

Teto Cena da Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim em Salvador
Roof of the Church of Our Lord of Bonfim in Salvador
Cena do Evangelho na Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim em Salvador
Gospel scene in the Church of Our Lord of Bonfim in Salvador
Cena do Evangelho na Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim em Salvador
Gospel scene in the Church of Our Lord of Bonfim in Salvador
Cena do Evangelho na Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim em Salvador
Gospel scene in the Church of Our Lord of Bonfim in Salvador
Cena do Evangelho na Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim em Salvador
Gospel scene in the Church of Our Lord of Bonfim in Salvador

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