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The Sacred Art Museum of the Federal University of Bahia is a Brazilian museum of sacred art located in Salvador (Bahia).



It was restored in 1958, almost in ruins, by the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), through an agreement with the Archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia. An initiative of the then rector Edgard do Rego Santos, probably creating the largest center for the study of sacred art in Brazil.



It was inaugurated on August 10, 1959, on the occasion of the IV International Colloquium of Luso-Brazilian Studies, and became part of the UFBA structure as a supplementary organ.

In the 17th century, six religious from the Barefoot Carmelite Order arrived in Bahia (Salvador) bound for Angola to, by order of the King of Portugal, found a convent. For lack of a vessel - a frequent fact at the time, they were forced to stay in Salvador for eight months. With difficulty in finding suitable facilities, they had the idea of ​​founding in the promising capital of the Portuguese colony the Convent of Santa Teresa.



To this end, they obtained authorization (Carta Régia) on June 25, 1665 and, in the same year, landed in Bahia on the vessel of Domingos Quaresma. The religious were: Friar José do Espírito Santo, prior, and his convents Friar Manoel de Santo Alberto, Friar Jerônimo de Santo Alberto, Friar João das Chagas, and the lay brothers Frei Francisco da Trindade and Frei Antônio da Presentation.

Little is known about the construction of the 17th century building, which was compared with the Remédios convent in Évora of the same Order. A hypothesis raised by Dom Clemente da Silva Nigra - director of the Museum in the period of its restoration (1958-1959), was that Frei Macário de São João was probably its builder - whose influence is present in the downed arch that supports the church choir.



Around 1686 the works of the convent were concluded with a solemn religious act in the new church (still unfinished), which was attended by political and ecclesiastical authorities, and by the Marquis of Minas, then governor-general of the colony. Completed in 1697, the Church of Santa Teresa was then inaugurated, when the image of Nossa Senhora do Monte do Carmo was transferred there. Another image donated to the convent, coming from Lisbon, was that of Nossa Senhora da Piedade, under the management of Friar Manuel da Madre de Deus, in 1706. During the administration of the prior, Friar Diogo de Santo Tomás de Aquino (1737-1739) the tiles that adorn the church were installed and the stone toilet in the sacristy was built.



The end of the 18th century was marked by popular emancipationist manifestations that influenced the direction of the history of the Convent of Santa Teresa. From its occupation by the Portuguese soldiers of General Madeira, and then by the 708 men of the Liberation Army, when the "Câmara da Cidade" expressed its dissatisfaction with the "terésios", until the "Federalist Revolution" of 1833, which intended to abolish the " Regular Order of Santa Teresa ", which only occurred, under Law No. 129, on June 2, 1840.

With the Convent practically uninhabited for years, and the Archiepiscopal Seminary with precarious facilities, the president of the province, Dom Francisco de Sousa Paraíso, and Archbishop Dom Romualdo Antônio de Seixas authorized the transfer of the Seminary there. In 1856, Dom Romualdo passed the administration on to the Lazarist priests, who in turn passed it on to secular priests, who occupied the Convent for over 20 years, returning, once again, the direction of the Convent to the Lazarists, in 1888. The Lazarist administrations mischaracterized the monument with many reforms and extensions. In 1953, the Seminar was transferred to another area (São Gonçalo) leaving the Convent in a very bad state of conservation.



It was then that, in 1958, the Federal University of Bahia and the Archdiocese of Salvador restored the convent-museum. The building was restored by the University of Bahia Works Service, under the supervision of the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute. The restoration of the artistic works was in charge of a team headed by Professor João José Rescala.

The Museum of Sacred Art of the Federal University of Bahia, restored, opened its doors with an exhibition composed of pieces from the collection and various institutions and collectors. Its architectural ensemble enjoys a privileged view of the sea: the Bay of Todos os Santos, from the island of Itaparica to that of Maré. The interior of the temple, with a single nave, is covered by vaults reinforced with stonework arches; the choir is located on vaulted edges and an almost flat arch - typical of 17th century Portuguese-Brazilian architecture; confessionals were built in the building itself to allow confessions to be made without the priests leaving their enclosure. In addition to the church, sacristy, choir, interior chapel, cafeteria, chapter room and library, the complex has 16 halls, 12 rooms, 10 cells, long corridors and galleries and two stone staircases with 17th century tile panels on the walls. . The total area of ​​the complex is 5261 m², with 100 doors and 146 windows.

Part of the pieces that make up the collection of the Museu de Arte Sacra are owned by the Archdiocese of São Salvador, the Monastery of São Bento, the Brotherhood of SS. Sacramento do Pilar, Convento dos Perdões and several churches, in addition to the Abelardo Rodrigues collection.



The Museum maintains a permanent exhibition of its collection, which covers the 16th, 17th, 18th and part of the 19th centuries.



Some pieces from the Museum, transcribed from the book "50 Pieces from the Museum of Sacred Art of Bahia", by Professor Valentin Calderón de La Vara, Edition by agreement between the Federal University of Bahia and Dow Química S.A, in 1981:

Sculptures



Our Lady of Wonders

Our Lady of Montesserrate

Our Lady of Conception (Penedo)

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Sant'Ana Mestra

Our Lady of Conception (ivory)

Santa Teresa

The Good Shepherd (ivory)

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Santa Isabel, Rainhda from Hungary

Crucifix

Our Lady and Saint John

Crucifix (Ivory Christ)

Adoration of the Shepherds

Our Lady of Conception with the Royal Crown of Dom João IV

Our Lady of Conception

Our Lady with the Child Jesus

São Joaquim, Sant 'Ana and Our Lady

St. John the Baptist

Our Lady of Rosario

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Our Lady of Conception (ivory)

Our Lady

Torch Angel

Lord of the Cold Stone

Our Lord of the Column

Walk with Baby Jesus

Sant 'Ana and Our Lady

Senhor Menino Deus, in Monte

Salvador

Saint Augustine

Silverware



Chalice-Custody

Naveta

Processional Cross

Scope

Altar Stool

Cruet

Custody

Basin and Gomil

Torch

Lamp

Altar and Tabernacle

Sacra

Paintings



Our Lady of the Assumption

Our Lord after the Flagellation

Saint John of God in Glory



The paintings by José Joaquim da Rocha, José Teófilo de Jesus and others are under the guard of MAS.

Furniture



Arcaz of SAcristia

Altar-Closet

Aula Magna Chair

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