Brasilia´s Cathedral: Niemayer´s masterpiece

Brasilia´s Cathedral: Niemayer´s masterpiece

Brasilia´s must see is doubtlessly its Cathedral. 

Brasilia´s Cathedral

Located in the end of the Esplanada dos Ministérios (the ministries´esplanade), it is the most symbolic building in the city, and maybe the most known. 

On its entrance, the four bronze-made statues of the Evangelists wellcomes the visitors. A dark tunnel on a down ramp leads to its hall, incredbly enlighted by the always-sunny days of Brasilia, making a colorful spectacle under the white and blue stained glass.

The three angels inside are suspended by steel cables. They, as the Evangelists, were sculpted by Alfredo Ceschiatti, who was aided by Dante Croce. 

Brasilia´s Cathedral

Inside the Cathedral, a milimetrical replica of La Pietá can be seen, just by the side of the via crucis painted by Di Cavalcanti. 

Brasilia´s Cathedral

The baptistery has an ovoid form. On its walls there is a panel made of ceramic tiles, painted in 1977 by Athos Bulcão, a famous painter of tiles, whose art is spread all over the city´s most iconic buildings. 

The bell tower countains four large bells, donated by Spain, completing the architectural ensemble.

The Cathedral is also very beautifully enlighted by night. The experience is quite different, so its worth going both day and night.

 

Brasilia´s Cathedral

Brasilia´s Cathedral

 It is very close the both North and South Hotels Sector, and some touristic companies offer day tours to the main monuments of the cities. 

Brasilia´s flowerboom: the ipês season

Brasilia´s flowerboom: the ipês season

Winter in Brasilia - if we can admit there´s any winter in Brasilia - brings the starting of the Ipês´ spectacle.

These big trees start to flourish in the middle of the dry season, and july is the month of the rose ones. 

Some claim the stress caused by the dryness is the responsible for this dramatic reproduction effort of the trees. 

From july to october the big trees of Brasilia bring their different colours alongside the months: in july, the rose ipês; in august, the purple ones; in september, the majestic yellows. In october, the flamboyants wellcome the rain with their heavy canopy fullfiled with red flowers.  

They loose all their leaves, and gain colourful flowers enbelleshing the city. 

There are so many Ipês in Brasilia that we can wonder if the city was made for them, or if the Ipês were made for Brasilia. Surely, the landscaper Burle Marx, who helped Niemayer and Lucio Costa on the task of planning the city, had a great insight when thinking of the Ipês to prettify the city. 

In fact, his gardens are remarkable, though people often look more to Brasilia´s architecture than to its green areas, which deserve the same admiration. The Ipês flowerboom remember us of paying more respect to this perfect combination of nature and landscaping.