View source for Church of Saint Michael (Salvador)

{{Infobox religious building
| name = Church of Saint Michael
| native_name = Igreja de São Miguel
| native_name_lang = pt
| image = Igreja de São Miguel Salvador-12679 02.jpg
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| caption = Church of Saint Michael, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| map_type = Brazil#South America
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| map_caption = Location of the Church of Saint Michael in Brazil
| coordinates = {{coord|-12.97414|-38.50779|type:landmark_globe:earth_region:BR|display=ti}}
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| religious_affiliation=[[Catholic]]
| rite=[[Roman Rite|Roman]]
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| municipality = [[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]]
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| country = [[Brazil]]
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| established = 1732
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| facade_direction = West
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| footnotes = {{designation list|embed = yes| designation1 = Brazil| designation1_date = 1938 |designation1_number =89}}
 }}

The '''Church of Saint Michael''' ({{langx|pt|Igreja de São Miguel}}), formerly known as the '''Capela do Senhor Bom Jesus da Via Sacra e São Miguel''', is an 18th-century [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] church and former convent in [[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]], [[Bahia]], [[Brazil]]. The church is dedicated, as evidenced by its original name, to Our Lord Jesus Crucified of the Via Sacra and [[Michael (archangel)|Saint Michael the Archange]]. The church was donated to the [[Church of the Third Order of Saint Francis|Third Order of Saint Francis]] in 1744. It was listed as a historic structure by the [[National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute]] in 1938.<ref name="a"/><ref name="hpip"/><ref name="ipac"/><ref name="ipac-ba"/><ref name="t"/>

==Location==
[[File:Igreja de São Miguel Salvador Church 2019-1046.jpg|thumb|left|250px|View of nave and chancel]]
[[File:Igreja de São Miguel Salvador Emblem Ordem 3a de São Francisco 2019-0974.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Polychromatic panel of azuejos with emblem of the Third Order of Saint Francis]]

The Church of Saint Michael is located within the [[Historic Center (Salvador)|Historic Center of Salvador]]. It sits in close alignment to  Rua Frei Vicente, a cobblestone street that connects the Pelourinho to Baixa dos Sapateiros. The church is surrounded by 19th century houses.<ref name="ipac"/><ref name="ipac-ba"/>

==History==

Francisco Gomes do Rego, a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis, donated land for the construction of the Church of Saint Michael. Construction of the church began in 1725 as a house of prayer. It was completed in 1732 by Francisco Rego as a church. The church, adjacent house, and 33 other houses were donated to the [[Church of the Third Order of Saint Francis|Third Order of Saint Francis]] after Rego's death in 1745. His ornate tombstone in the church has the inscription ''Francisco, great sinner and unworthy founder of this chapel, asks for mercy from brother of the Third Order.'' The Third Order installed a panel of [[azulejo]] tiles with an emblem of the order in approximately 1790.<ref name="hpip"/><ref name="ipac"/><ref name="t"/>

==Structure==

The Church of Saint Michael has a façade with a triangular pediment. The façade is divided into two sections horizontally below the pediment and three sections vertically by means of simple white pilasters. The lower horizontal section is quite high and the upper much smaller. An elaborate portal at center of the façade is in carved stone, with a baroque-style triangular pediment with volutes. A nice is located above the monumental portal between two choir windows. An image of the Virgin Mary sat in the niche, but is now removed. The church has four windows at the choir level, two of which open to the choir. A belfry is located at the left of the upper section of the church, at the same level of the panel of azulejos. The belfry has two openings, one to Rua Frei Vicente and one to the west. A single bell remains in the church.<ref name="hpip"/><ref name="ipac-ba"/><ref name="t"/>

A rectangular panel of polychromatic [[azulejo]] tiles is situated above the portal. It was produced in Lisbon between 1780 and 1790, and is composed of 120 tiles, 10 high by 12 across. The panel is polychromatic, in blue, green, yellow, and purple on a faint blue background. It depicts the emblem of the Third Order of Saint Francis at center framed by [[rococo]]-style [[festoon]]s.<ref name="a"/><ref name="hpip"/><ref name="ipac-ba"/><ref name="t"/>

===Interior===

The interior of the church has a rectangular nave with a choir and chancel, side aisles and tribunes, a sacristy, and smaller miscellaneous rooms. Both the nave and chancel have barrel-vaulted ceilings; their original paintings are now lost, and are simply painted yellow. The altar originally had an image of the Our Lord Jesus of Bouças; it was replaced in 1854 by an image of Christ Crucified from the collection of the Church of the Third Order of Saint Francis in 1854. An image of Saint Michael sat below. The altar rail is of finely carved ''jacaranda'' with floral motifs. While much smaller in scale, the altar rail resembles those of the [[Church and Convent of São Francisco, Salvador|Church and Convent of São Francisco]] and [[Church of the Third Order of Mount Carmel]].<ref name="hpip"/><ref name="ipac-ba"/>

The lioz tombstone of Francisco Gomes do Rego sits in front of the altar at the center of the floor of the chancel. The choir is narrow with a simple wood rail.<ref name="hpip"/><ref name="ipac-ba"/>

==Protected status==

The Church of Saint Michael was listed as a historic structure by the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute in 1938. The structures were registered under the Book of Historical Works, Inscription no. 89.<ref name="ipac-ba"/>

==Access==

The Church of Saint Michael is closed to the public and may not be visited.

==References==

{{reflist|2|refs=

<ref name="a">{{Cite Q|Q106542869|page=143}}</ref>

<ref name="hpip">{{cite web | last = Lins | first = Eugénio Ávila |url= http://www.hpip.org/def/pt/Homepage/Obra?a=1135 |title= Igreja de São Miguel |place= Lisbon, Portugal |year = 2013 |publisher=Heritage of Portuguese Influence/Património de Influência Portuguesa |accessdate=2018-12-11}}</ref>

<ref name="ipac">{{cite web |url= https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1trB6BjHgA--d9AJQOnDxrIIUWKI&hl=en_US&ll=-12.974724019799664%2C-38.508898195787935&z=17 |title= Capela de São Miguel |language=pt | place = Salvador, Brazil |publisher=IPAC |date=2018 |accessdate=2018-12-14}}</ref>

<ref name="ipac-ba">{{cite book |last=Secretaria da Indústria, Comércio e Turismo (Bahia, Brazil) |title=IPAC-BA: inventário de proteção do acervo cultural |edition=3 |volume = 1 |location=Salvador, Brazil |publisher=Secretaria da Indústria e Comércio |year=1997 |pages=29–30}}</ref>

<ref name="t">{{cite book | last1 = Talento | first1 = Biaggio | last2 = Hollanda | first2 = Helenita | title = Basílicas & capelinhas : um estudo sobre a história, arquitetura e arte de 42 igrejas de Salvador | publisher = Bureau Gráfica | location = Salvador, BA | year = 2008 | isbn = 9788585923228 | pages = 151–152}}</ref>

}}

{{commons category|Igreja de São Miguel (Salvador)}}
{{Subject bar |portal1= Catholicism |portal2= Brazil}}

[[Category:18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Brazil]]
[[Category:Portuguese colonial architecture in Brazil]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic churches in Salvador, Bahia]]
[[Category:National heritage sites of Bahia]]