The Third Order of Our Lady of Carmo Church
The Altarpiece, Chandeliers
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Across from Praça XV, there are two old churches side-by-side. The 3rd Order of Carmo is the one on the right, if you are facing the churches. The church was constructed between 1755-1770, though the bell towers were not completed until the 1840s.
Interview with Nireu Cavalcanti (pt. 2 of 8)
What was Mestre Valentim's training?
Some historians point out that his father sent him to study in Portugal, a prejudiced view of colonial Rio. They could not admit that the city had highly qualified people, so historians raised the hypothesis that many artists must have studied abroad.
By checking his primary documentation, I confirmed that Valentim's father died one year after his birth, which dismisses this possibility. His training took place with carvers from Minas Gerais (the state where he was born) and improved with Masters from Rio de Janeiro after he moved there—especially Luiz da Fonseca Rosa, with whom he worked on the carving of the Our Lady of Carmo Church (Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo).
