Saint John Baptist's Main Church: sacred and eclectic architecture in Bocaina - SP

• Grant number: 17/10237-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2017
• End date: August 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning
• Principal Investigator: Vladimir Benincasa
• Grantee: Maria Helena Gabriel
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes e Comunicação (FAAC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Considering the close relationship between temples and artistic goods, especially in Catholic churches, in the Brazilian case, and their great presence and symbolic importance in the everyday spatial context of the communities in which they are inserted, there has been a growing concern over the preservation of these buildings, not only for their architectural characteristics but for what they represent. The research has as object of study the building of the Saint John Baptist's Main Church, situated in Bocaina, in the interior of São Paulo, analyzing it from the historical, social and architectural point of view since its origin in the late nineteenth century, until the present time. The analysis intends to verify external and internal morphological characteristics of this church, and the meaning of its decorative elements in the context of the Catholic liturgy at the time of its construction. From a historical retrospective, it is possible to verify the importance of the building in the formation of the city both in matters of urban and social conformation, considering the remarkable presence of Catholic religiosity in the municipality. In addition, the church contains a significant artistic heritage, which includes several canvases of the important painter from São Paulo, Benedito Calixto. For the development of this study, the methodological process comprises a bibliographical survey consistent with the research theme, searching for documents in the diocese of São Carlos, for newspapers from the time of the main church's foundation, for iconographic material, as well as a current metrical and photographic survey. This material will be analyzed, intending to verify the sociocultural value that the Saint John Baptist's church has for Bocaina and region, and its role as a significant icon in the artistic, architectural, religious and historical representation. (AU)