One of the earliest Catholic chapels of colonial times was built on this site in 1609 in gratitude for surviving a near shipwreck in Guanabara Bay. The chapel was given the ship’s name Candelária. This replacement for the Church of Our Lady of Candelária began in 1775. The Portuguese Baroque façade was completed in 1811 and the dome was added in 1877. Some say the interior is unfinished. Yet its Neo-Renaissance interior – filled with marvelous marble and paintings – makes this one of Rio’s most visited churches.
