Chapel of Our Lady of Victory

The Paramirim Sugar Plantation was established in the mid-18th century by Frutuoso Vicente Viana, also the owner of the Madruga plantation in present-day São Francisco do Conde. The construction of the chapel dates to at least 1757, when Vigário Miguel Teixeira Pinto reported on the chapel as part of his report on the Freguesia de Nossa Senhora do Monte do Recôncavo (Freguesia de Nossa Senhora do Monte do Recôncavo).[5] The chapel was built by the owner of the Paramirim Sugar Plantation, who owned other plantations and properties in the interior Recôncavo region of Bahia. The chapel was built in the 18th century in the Baroque style. The movement to replace Baroque architectural elements with the Neoclassical spread from Salvador to the interior of Bahia in the 19th century; this was reflected in the renovation of the plantation house, now lost, and the Neoclassical design of the chapel altar.[1][2][3]

Imperial palms (Roystonea oleracea) were introduced from France via Portugal in the early 19th century. The imported seeds were expensive, and presence of the palms among the rolling hills indicated the power and prestige of both plantations and some religious institutions, especially in the Recôncavo. Two of the palms from the period remain in front of the chapel.[1]

The Paramirim plantation was sold to the owner of the Usina Cinco Rios, a sugarcane processing factory in São Sebastião do Passé, in 1956. A baptismal font in lioz marble and images of the church were relocated to Usina Cinco Rios in this period. The factory is now in ruins and the location of the baptismal font and images is unknown.[3]

The Chapel of Our Lady of Victory sits on a bluff in the Mataripe district of São Francisco do Conde at the highest elevation in the district.[5] The ruins of the plantation house are located adjacent to the west facade of the structure and the former workers quarters are located to the east. A French-style garden was constructed near the chapel and plantation house in the early 19th century; it is now lost. Imperial palms are located to the left and right of the facade.[2][3]

The Chapel of Our Lady of Victory is built of mixed masonry with two towers on either side of the facade. The towers are topped by distinctive, tiled Byzantine-style domes, a style unique among Bahian churches and chapels. The tiles on the domes were industrially produced in Portugal; they have a blue floral geometric design at center on a white background. Semi-oval openings are placed on all four sides of the belfries of both towers. The chapel lacks windows at the choir level, which are instead placed on the two towers. Cross-shaped openings are placed in the tower at the base of the domes. Each of the sacristies, located to the left and right of the nave, had two portals with arches spanning the length of the chapel.[1][2][3]

The Rococo-style facade was added when the chapel was renovated in the 19th century. It is composed of stucco and has complex design elements across the entire surface. An archivolt above the portal has three small relief plaques with an anchor, cross, and heart in each. A relief of an eight-pointed star is located between the portal and pediment with a shell design at its base. A large relief of a dove, as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, is prominently placed within the archivolt. The doors have three pilasters to either side; the first has a long diamond pattern with a rosette at center, the second has a relief of brickwork, and the third has the design of a simple column.[1][5]

The chapel is now in an advanced state of ruin; the portals and windows are missing, the roof of the sacristy has collapsed, and all interior elements have been removed. The plantation house of the Paramirim Plantation is entirely in ruins.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Victory lacks municipal, state, or federal protection. It is recognized as a heritage site of Portuguese history by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.[2]