Images from Salvador
Pictures first, a view of Pelourhino roof tops from our hotel
We do, fortunately our hotel is soundproofed. It is right in the middle of Pelourinho, which is the historic old centre of town. Pelourhino means whipping post, as the slaves were punished in the Pelourhino square. Now bands play for Carnaval there. It is a lovely place with lots of old colourful buildings and yes, you guessed it, churches. There are many catholic churches, some Jesuit, some for blacks, some for nuns and priests and some for other whites. Salvador has 365 churches, Dan is in heaven!
The most famous church and the largest in Brazil is here, Igreja Convento de Sao Fanscisco ( you may have noticed that this is a popular name for churches in Brazil), which is an amazing example of a Baroque church. This one has a convent, church and layman's church all in the same complex. It was founded in 1500's. The walls of the cloisters are decorated with blue and white tiles which were painted in Portugal, numbered and sent over by ship. They were then assembled and placed on the walls of the cloisters, they depict many lessons about virtue, goodness and hard work, they do not have a religious overtones. They also depict the life of St Francis de Assiz, who is the patron saint of the Church.
The interior of the church is amazing, even Dan was impressed. It has more gold leaf in it than any other church, I expected to find a gaudy display, but it is really well done. It is impressive and a sensory overload, but surprisingly, it is attractive. Pictures to follow, these are legit. There are many paintings on the walls and ceilings. The interior was first carved from wood, covered with a thin layer of plaster then covered in gold leaf or painted. The sculptures are amazing, there is so much detail in each alcove. There are 8 alcoves and the main alter. The chandelier is made of 70kg of silver! The detail of the carvings and the paintings are amazing.
The main square has 3 churches and the old medical school surrounding it. Many of the buildings are in poor shape, but they are slowly being restored. It is a shame to see some of these churches decaying as they are an important part of Salvador and Brazil's history ( and the Catholic church has lots of money).
Salvador is an interesting mix of cultures, they describe it as boiling. Most of the population have descended from the African slaves and are very proud of their culture. Their music is prominent in Carnaval. There are also the Portuguese descendants and of course the mulattos, which form the second biggest group. There are also many European and Japanese descendants (most of the Japanese are in the Sao Paulo area).
The old historic town is separated by from the lower town by a large hill. There are no stairs, but an elevator was built in 1873 to connect the lower city with the upper, it was overhauled in the 1930's and now has an Art Deco look. There are four elevators which take 30 seconds to travel the 72 m distance. They are move people very quickly. It is an amazing place!
Love to hear from you, time to watch the parade!
Kim and Dan
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