DAY 15 (1 OF 3) – SANTUARIO DOM BOSCO, BRASILIA, BRAZIL

After all the Niemeyer projects we saw yesterday, the Santuario Dom Bosco (Sanctuary Dom Bosco) was the only non-Niemeyer building we visited in Brasilia. Built in early 1960s, this magnificent church was designed by Carlos Alberto Naves. The modernist exterior has done well to conceal the magnificent interiors. Approaching from the street, we did not expect the true beauty of the interior until we stepped in a side door located at the base of one of the Gothic arches. With 80 columns at a height of 16m, the four outer walls of the building provide the maximum wall area to showcase fantastic stained glass window made of 12 shades of blue. The stained glass windows were designed by Claudio Naves and manufactured by Hubert Van Doorne. Apart from the stained glass windows, we were also overwhelmed by the 3.5m giant chandelier at the centre of the room. It was made of 7400 pieces of Murano glass. Weighted 10 tonnes, a massive block of pink marble forms the altar of the sanctuary.

Sanctuary Dom Bosco was the last building we visited in Brasilia. We spent about an hour at the sanctuary before heading back to our hotel, grabbed our backpacks, and hopped onto a bus for the airport. Our next stop would be Belo Horizonte, the state capital of Minas Gerais.