Historic Rio: Praça da Carioca
Rio (April 17, 2010)
If you see one church in the downtown area, make it the Igreja de São Francisco (Largo da Carioca, 11am–4pm Wednesday–Friday). Recently restored, the church is a large and beautiful example of the Baroque churches of the 17th and 18th centuries in Brazil, such as those found in Minas Gerais. In fact, some of the master artists and sculptors from Minas worked on this church, which was erected in 1657. The altars inside are replete with wood sculptures, covered in gold. There are numerous paintings along the walls and on the ceiling and a museum of sacred art inside.
A metro station right at the Largo da Carioca makes it easy to get there and away. On the other side of the square from the São Francisco Church is the Convento de Santo Antônio, which has its share of gold covered sculpture lining the altars, along with Japanese sculpture from 1597 upstairs in the choir area. At the top of the square, you’ll encounter the street Rua da Carioca, which is full of food markets and various shops and is a great little stretch to explore. A highlight here is the age-old Bar Luiz (Rua da Carioca 39), which began in 1887 and has been the city’s favorite German bar and eatery ever since.
