Saint Francis of Paula Square: Altarpiece; Chapel of Our Lady of Victories

The church is open for visitation Mondays through Thursdays from 8:00am to 5:00pm; Fridays from 8:00am to 6:00pm; Saturdays from 9:00am to 5:00pm and Sundays from 9:00am to 12:00pm.

One of the largest churches in the city of Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco de Paula was constructed between 1759 to 1801. Mestre Valentim's decorative work was carved between 1801 and his death in 1813. The church is open daily for visitation — however, as of this writing, the Chapel of Our Lady of Victories is closed for restoration. The restoration project is slated for completion in 2022 at a total cost of R$35 million. In addition to Valentim's work, the Chapel restoration project includes several paintings by Manoel da Cunha e Silva, another of the most important artists of the 18th century. Cunha e Silva was born enslaved and used his paintings to raise the money to buy his freedom, whereupon he married a "free mulatta" to ensure that his children would not be enslaved.

Interview with Nireu Cavalcanti (pt. 6 of 8)
What is the significance of the Public Prominade in the urbanization of the city?
The Public Prominade was the first urbanization project in Rio de Janeiro that was soley aesthetic. This revolutionized the city as, for the first time, it gained a leisure space, an ornamental garden, a botanical garden, and a place to exhibit artwork and sculpture. Before that, all of the public parks were in some way utilitarian. For the first time, a public project was conceived around exploiting the beauty of Guanabara Bay and creating a symbolic and aesthetic space away from the city center. Before that, festivals and processions of the Brotherhoods took place in Campo de Santana—now Praça da República (Republic Plaza). After the creation of the Public Prominade, these events shifted to this new space, transforming the political and cultural heart of Rio.
Interviewed by Julia Guttler on May 30, 2015. English translation edited for clarity by Sadakne Baroudi.

Largo São Francisco de Paula - Centro | Rio de Janeiro - RJ | Take Line 2 of the VLT light rail to the Colombo stop, or Line 1 to the Sete de Setembro stop. The church is surrounded by an iron fence, narrow sidewalks and large trees. There are massive stone steps leading up to the main door. It does not appear to be wheelchair accessible.

Files

Official Website

https://www.igrejasaofranciscodepaula.org/

Subjects

  • Church Altarpiece
  • Our Lady of Victories chapel carvings

Citation Information

Sadakne Baroudi, “Saint Francis of Paula Square: Altarpiece; Chapel of Our Lady of Victories,” Afro-Rio Walking Tour, accessed October 10, 2026, https://afroriowalkingtour.com/items/show/58.

Map

Largo São Francisco de Paula - Centro | Rio de Janeiro - RJ | Take Line 2 of the VLT light rail to the Colombo stop, or Line 1 to the Sete de Setembro stop. The church is surrounded by an iron fence, narrow sidewalks and large trees. There are massive stone steps leading up to the main door. It does not appear to be wheelchair accessible.