Taken by Marcel Gautherot around 1954.
Gautherot, born in 1910, was a French-Brazilian photographer. Originally studying architecture, he eventually moved into Photography. Inspired by Jorge Amado’s novel Jubiabá, he toured the Brazilian Amazon and settled in Rio de Janeiro in 1940. Here, he worked on photographic documentation projects for the recently created Serviço do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional, now the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional.
His visually stunning Building Brasilia was recently re-released commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of Brasilia.
Gautherot passed away in 1996. His collection of 25000 was acquired by the Instituto Moreira Salles.
The Candelária church
The Candelária church was built and decorated from 1775 to the late 19th century. The church combines a Baroque façade with a Neoclassical and Neo-Renaissance interior elements.
It’s said that in the beginning of the 17th century, a ship called Candelária almost sank during a storm on the sea. Upon arriving in Rio de Janeiro, a group of Spaniards sponsored the building of a small chapel, fulfilling the oath they made during the storm. This small chapel, dedicated to Our Lady of Candelária, was built around 1609.
In the second half of the 18th century, as the chapel was in need of repair, Portuguese military engineer Francisco João Roscio was put in charge of the project of a new, larger building. Starting in 1775, the church, unfinished, was inaugurated in 1811 in the presence of King John VI of Portugal, who at the time was in Rio with the whole Portuguese court, having fled the encroaching Napoleonic forces back in Portugal.
Around 1856 the stone roofs of the aisles were completed, but the dome over the crossing would only be completed in 1877, after the intervention of several architects and much discussion and planning. The dome and its eight statues were made in white Lioz stone, from Lisbon, and brought to Brazil by ship.
When finished, the dome of the Candelária was the tallest structure in the city.
Take a picture in the very same place!