Santuario Dom Bosco, Brasilia, Brazil

The Shrine Dom Bosco
It looks so unassuming from the outside!

My friend Mark gets sent on business trips all over the world.  When he was assigned to visit Brazil's capital city of Brasilia, I made him promise to take lots of photos for us!  He didn't disappoint.

This is the first post in a series on Brasilia - I chose to begin with the photos that wowed me the most.  I hope they WOW you, too.

First a little background information!

Dom Bosco was an Italian Saint who had a dream of a utopian city.  This was back in 1883, mind you, and in his dream he saw a capital city that would be located in the New World and be a light to a great nation.

Dom Bosco's prophecy alluded to this utopian city being located between the 15th and 20th parallels by a lake.  Brasilia was built right there - where an artificial lake, Paranoa Lake was formed.

Exterior of the Dom Bosco Shrine

It's easy to see why Dom Bosco is Brasilia's patron saint.

The shrine to Dom Bosco is a unique church.  It looks very ordinary on the outside... but then you catch a glimpse of its glory through the open doors.

What awaits inside is just HEAVENLY.

Inside, the blue light comes from hundreds of stained glass windows - windows stained in twelve different shades of blue with dots of white.

The windows were designed by artist Claudio Naves and manufactured in Sao Paulo by a Beligan artist named Hubert Van Doorne.

The magnificent golden chandelier

During the day the shrine is lit by the sun through the blue glass.  At night, a huge chandelier made of 7,400 pieces of Murano glass lights the edifice.

The chandelier was designed by architect Alvimar Moreira.

The beautiful artistry of this place just makes me appreciate the arts and artisans so much more!  Don't you agree?  Especially when they are men and women of faith.

Of course, this is a Catholic church, so we see a large altar made of a 10-ton block of Carrara marble, and a large Crucifix above it that was carved from a single cedar tree by Gotfredo Tralli.

Even the ceiling is extraordinary

Some of the windows swivel open for ventilation

A life-sized statue of Dom Bosco made of Carrera marble stands to one side of the altar

Life-sized statues of Dom Bosco and Nossa Senhora Auxiliadora (Our Lady of Help) stand on either side of the altar.

The arches draw the eye upward to God

Notice the height of the ceilings!  It is a vast and beautiful space.

I like how Mark tried different settings to capture the light in the room.  It is quite spectacular, isn't it?

This is truly a heavenly space, isn't it?

I love the way the ceiling has been fashioned.  What a delightful and awe-inspiring space.

A closer view of the cedar crucifix

I find myself wondering if there is an organ here somewhere for services.  I would love to attend a worship service here.  Wouldn't that be great?

I guess that's the idea, though, isn't it?

The statue of  the Virgin Mary - Our Lady of  Help

What beautiful talents came together in creating this marvelous place of worship.

Bas Relief: Teaching the scriptures

This concludes our visit to the Dom Bosco church in Brasilia.  I hope you enjoyed it!