Posted on 06.02.2013 and completed on 22.07.2013
Some people, when get from life more than they deserved, think should thank to someone, more precisely to give, in one form or another, a part of what they got. In nowadays there are a lot of projects, of "causes", in which they can involve, but some time ago things were much simpler: they contented of divinity, building churches or at least making donations, as allowed him the pocket and the soul. Not a few among the works of art of the past were based on such motivations. Among the people of this type was the Portuguese adventurer Feliciano Mendes, who commissioned in the 18th century (to fulfill a vow made while he was desperately ill) the twelve sculptures of old testament prophets which adorn the forecourt of the Santuário do Bom Jesus do Matosinhos in Congonhas, a Brazilian city located in the state of Minas Gerais. Since 1985 UNESCO included this basilica to the World Heritage Sites list, under the name Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas.
The twelve sculptures don't correspond to the Twelve Minor Prophets, but include some of the Major Prophets and prophets whose works are part of the Old Testamentdeuterocanon: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Obadiah, Amos, Jonah, Nahum and Habakkuk. On the postcard are three of them: Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Joel (from the foreground to the plan removed). This soapstone sculptures are works of the artist Antônio Francisco Lisboa, commonly known as Aleijadinho. "As has been pointed out on numerous occasions", said UNESCO, "with Aleijadinho, a half-breed born in Vila Rica, Baroque sculpture takes on an aesthetic dimension that is unknown to Europe."
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