Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Aparecida, Brasilia, Brasil


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Architect
 Oscar Niemeyer
Date Built
 Corner stone laid 1958
Structure Completed April 1960
Consecrated October 1968
Opened Officially May 31, 1970
Location
 Via S1
Description
Oscar Niemeyer's cathedral, in Brasil's capital city, is something of a religious iceberg since, as impressive as it is above ground, much of the building is in fact underground.  What you see above ground is the roof of the Cathedral composed of 16 concrete columns that rise like fingers towards the sky.  Each of the columns weighs 90 tons.  Between the columns are sheets of fibreglass each 10 metres wide at the base.  Suspended behind these fibreglass panels is a stained-glass work created in 1990 by Marianne Peretti.  Guarding the entrance to the cathedral are four 3-metre high bronze statues of the Four Evangelists created by Dante Croce.  Entrance into the cathedral is by way of a staircase taking visitors down to an underground tunnel.



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The tunnel leads people below the reflecting pool that encircles the cathedral.



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Beside the cathedral stands a 20 metre high bell tower that holds 4 bells.
 

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The oval building next to the cathedral is the baptistry.  It is accessible below ground from the nave of the cathedral and by way of a spiral staircase from the plaza.



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The stained glass is visible at night when the lights are on inside the cathedral.



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In the light-flooded nave, three angel sculptures, created by Alfredo Ceschiatti, are suspended from the ceiling on steel cables.



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Beyond the altar another flight of stairs leads to a small chapel.


According to the Cathedral's Wikipedia page, the building was given a major renovation on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary of Brasilia.  It says that, "... The exterior glazing is being replaced, and the original stained glass designed by Marianne Peretti (which used hand made glass and thus varied widely in thickness) is being replaced by uniform glass cut and assembled in Brazil from plates manufactured in Germany. In addition to the roof repairs, all marble surfaces will be polished, concrete repaired and painted, the angels in the nave will be cleaned and re-mounted, and the bell mechanisms will be replaced. The cathedral will be open to the public during renovation."



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