16 Best Sights in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Oscar Niemeyer designed this modern 1940s complex, one of Belo Horizonte's don't-miss sights. On the banks of Lagoa da Pampulha, the Conjunto Arquitetônico da Pampulha encompasses the Museu de Arte da Pampulha, the Casa do Baile, and the Igreja de São Francisco de Assis.

The museum, one of Niemeyer's first projects, shows the influence of the European architect Le Corbusier on the young Brazilian. The glass and concrete structure, whose landscape gardens were designed by Richard Burle Marx, served as the city's casino until 1946, when gambling was prohibited in Brazil, and was converted into a museum in 1957.

The Casa do Baile, originally home to a small restaurant and a ballroom, is on a small artificial island connected to the Lagoa's bank by a concrete bridge. After the gambling ban went into effect, the space was used for various commercial activities until 2002, when a renovation project led by Niemeyer allowed for the reopening of the building. It is currently a reference center for architecture and design, and it hosts related exhibitions, workshops, and events. The internal area has a collection of Niemeyer's original sketches.

The glass and stucco 14 exterior mosaic panels of the Igreja de São Francisco de Assis, which describe the life and activities of its namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, are moving riffs off the azulejos (decorative blue Portuguese tiles) found in many colonial churches in Brazil.

With works by noted artists Ataíde and Aleijadinho, Our Lady of Carmel Church is noteworthy for its impressive facade and sculpted soapstone designs. Ataíde is buried at the rear of the church, built in the late 1700s. A fire in 1999 during renovation nearly destroyed the site, sparing only the rococo-style altar.

The impressive Our Lady of Carmel Church, completed in 1776, contains the last works of notable Brazilian sculptor Aleijadinho. It was originally designed by Aleijadinho's father, an architect, but was later modified by Aleijadinho, who added additional rococo elements, including the soapstone sculptures of angels above the entrance. Frequented by the high society of Ouro Preto at the time it was inaugurated, the church contains the only examples of azulejos (decorative Portuguese tiles) from this period in Minas Gerais.

Local lore has it that 400 pounds of gold and silver leaf were used to cover the interior of Ouro Preto's most richly decorated church, built on the site of an earlier chapel and consecrated in 1733. In addition to gold- and silver-clad sculptures of cherubs, flowers, and saints, highlights of the church's interior include a beautiful series of paintings by Bernardo Pires, as well as two massive angels made in solid silver. The church building also houses the Museu de Arte Sacra (Museum of Sacred Art), which has a collection of church furnishings and sculptures attributed to Aleijadinho.

Considered the masterpiece of Brazilian sculptor Aleijadinho, this church was begun in 1766 by the Franciscan Third Order but wasn't completed until 1810. Aleijadinho designed the structure and was responsible for the wood and soapstone sculptures on the portal, high altar, side altars, pulpits, and crossing arch. Manuel da Costa Ataíde, a brilliant artist in his own right, painted the panel on the nave ceiling representing the Virgin's glorification. Cherubic faces, garlands of tropical fruits, and allegorical characters carved into the main altar are still covered with their original paint.

João Fernandes de Oliveira, one of the wealthiest individuals in colonial Brazil, had the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel built as a gift to his mistress, Chica da Silva, a former slave. There are two tales that attempt to explain the bell tower built at the back of the 1751 structure. The first is that da Silva ordered it to be built there so that the ringing wouldn't disturb her. The other is that the construction would allow her to attend Mass, as a law at the time forbade slaves to go "beyond the towers." The altar has gold-leaf paneling, and the organ has 514 pipes.

The ornate Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, though small, is Sabará's main church and an outstanding example of Portuguese baroque architecture with Asian influences. Its simple exterior gives no indication of the wealth inside, typified by the luxurious gold altar and the lavishly decorated ceiling.

A celebration of baroque architecture, the Church of Santo Antônio is the one not to miss in Tiradentes. Built in 1710, it contains well-preserved gilded carvings of saints, cherubs, and biblical scenes. The soapstone frontispiece is attributed to Aleijadinho. Organ concerts take place here on Friday evening; if you can time your visit to attend one, by all means do so.

One of the best historical museums in Brazil, this former 18th-century prison and onetime city hall has great interactive computer and television screen displays devoted to the history of the failed uprising of the Inconfidentes, life in colonial Tiradentes, slavery, and a number of other interesting topics. Other displays include period furniture, clothing, slaves' manacles, firearms, books, and gravestones. The museum also holds the remains of revolutionaries, some brought back from exile in Portugal's African colonies, and the document in which Maria I details the fate of Tiradentes's body parts.

Built in 1898, the French-style Liberdade Palace is the former headquarters of the Minas Gerais government. Today, it is the main venue of the Cultural Complex Praça da Liberdade. Of note are the gardens by Paul Villon, the Louis XV–style banquet room, the main staircase brought from Belgium, the paintings in Noble Hall, and a panel by Antônio Pereira.

Designed by Oscar Niemeyer and built in 1970, the Palace of the Arts is the most important cultural center in Belo Horizonte, comprising three theaters, three art galleries, a movie theater, a bookstore, a coffee shop, and the Centro de Artesanato Mineiro (Mineiro Artisan Center) next door, where contemporary Minas handicrafts—among them wood and soapstone carvings, pottery, and tapestries—are for sale. The main theater, Grande Teatro, stages music concerts, plays, operas, ballets, and other productions by Brazilian and foreign artists.

Towering trees, shimmering ponds, and fountains containing various minerals—each believed to cure a different ailment—fill the Parque das Águas. Lavish pavilions protect the springs, and the balneário, a beautiful Turkish-style bathhouse, offers saunas and massages. Hundreds of thousands of liters of mineral water are bottled here daily and distributed throughout Brazil.

Waterfalls, natural pools, and caves—among them Gruta do Centenário, one of the world's largest quartzite caves—fill this rugged park whose name means "big face," in homage to its main mountain. The park's most famous inhabitant is the lobo guará, a beautiful orange wolf threatened by extinction. Historic buildings here include an 18th-century convent and the Igreja de Nossa Senhora Mãe dos Homens (Church of Our Lady, Mother of Men), built at the end of the 19th century. The church's French stained-glass windows, rare organ, baroque altars, and painting of the Last Supper by Ataíde make it well worth a stop. There was once a seminary here as well, but it caught fire in 1968. After the accident, the building was transformed into an inn and small museum.

Guided tours—walking, spelunking, and other activities—can be arranged at the administration office, run by priests, once you arrive. You can hike in the lower elevations on your own, but to visit the tallest peaks, some of which rise to about 6,000 feet, you're required to go with a guide. The park's website has information about guides.

Dominating the small Gold Town of Congonhas do Campo is the crowning effort of renowned sculptor Aleijadinho: the hilltop pilgrimage church Basílica Bom Jesus do Matosinho. Built in 1757, it's the focus of great processions during Holy Week. At the churchyard entrance are Aleijadinho's 12 life-size Old Testament prophets carved in soapstone, one of the greatest works of art from the baroque period. The prophets appear caught in movement, and every facial expression is unforgettable. Leading up to the church on the sloping hillside are six chapels, each containing a scene of the stations of the cross. The 66 figures in this remarkable procession were carved in cedar by Aleijadinho and painted by Manuel da Costa Ataíde and Francisco Xavier Carneiro.

Congonhas is about 50 km (31 miles) west of Mariana; take BR 356 to MG 440 to MG 030, then go north on BR 040. This is also a fairly easy trip by bus or car from Belo Horizonte (94 km/58 miles) or Tiradentes (130 km/81 miles).