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The Church of Saint John the Baptist (Igreja de São João Batista, or Igreja São Joãozinho) is a Catholic church located in the city of Belém, Pará, Brazil. The church is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Belém do Pará. The church was built in the Baroque style with an irregular octagonal nave and a central dome. It is considered both the best work of Giuseppe Antonio Landi, known as Antônio José Landi in Brazil, and a jewel of Italian architecture for being the most different, and for its size, size and harmony.

The church was listed as a historic structure by the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute in 1940.

Location
The Church of Saint John the Baptist is located in the Historic Center of Belém in the Cidade Velha neighborhood. It sits at the end of Rua Dona Tomázia Perdigão, a narrow street that begins at the southeast walls of the Church and Former College of Saint Alexander. The Praça República do Líbano (Plaza of the Republic of Lebanon), formerly the Largo do São João Batista, a small public square, sits to the east of the church.

Timeline

 * 1622 – First Church of Saint John the Baptist building.
 * 1661 – Imprisonment of Antônio Vieira at church
 * 1686 – First church repaired
 * 1714 – Elevation to parish church
 * 1721 – Elevation to cathedral
 * 1772 – Beginning of construction of second church building
 * 1777 – End of construction of second church building.
 * June 24. 2nd church inaugurated.
 * 1899 – Arrival of Augustinian friars from Spain
 * 1940 – Listing by the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN)
 * 1959 – Church passed to Diocese

History
The first Church of Saint John the Baptist site dates to 1622. It was a primitive structure of mud covered with straw (pau a pique), similar to most buildings in the new colony. The church served as a prison for the Jesuit priest Antônio Vieira (1608-1697), a popular orator in both Brazil and Portugal. Vieira defended the indigenous peoples of Brazil, and took part in a popular revolt in Pará and was imprisoned at the church in 1661 before his removal to Portugal. The church was rebuilt in clay in 1686, and became the parish church of Belém in 1714. It became the Cathedral in 1721 and remained so for 34 years; it was the seat of the first three Bishops of Pará.

The current structure was designed by Antônio José Landi. Construction began in 1772 and was completed on June 24, 1777. Six Spanish Augustinian friars arrived 1899 and remained in the church for 60 years. The church passed to the direction of diocesan priests in 1959.

Structure
Landi worked as an architect in Bologna in the mid-18th century, and his works in Brazil reflect the architecture of that city rather than colonial Portuguese models. The Church of Saint John the Baptist is one of the few churches in Brazil with an irregular octagonal nave and central dome in the baroque style of Borromini. The building is of stone masonry. The façade has two levels topped by a recessed pediment. The chapel shows a direct influence from 16th-century Bolognese architecture in the composition of the façade (consisting of two tiers framed by double columns embedded in the wall of the lower section and double pilasters on the upper floor)

Italy for The chapel shows a direct influence from 16th-century Bolognese architecture in the composition of the façade (consisting of two tiers framed by double columns embedded in the wall of the lower section and double pilasters on the upper floor) The church, designed by Landi in the Italian style and unlike those of Portuguese design, lacks a belltower or steeple. His design for the Church of Saint Anne likewise lacks a belltower or steeple.

Artwork
The Church of Saint John the Baptist holds numerous works of sacred art. Landi created a set of quadrata for the Church of Saint John in the 1770s. They are in the trompe l'oeil style of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna, or Clementine Academy, of Landi's home town. The paintings, like much baroque art and architecture in the 19th century, were removed or painted over in favor of Neoclassical design. Landi's set of paintings in the Church of Saint John were painted over in neutral colors and hidden by Neogothic altars in wood. They were restored to their original appearance in 1996. They are Landi's "most beautiful works" and the only remaining wall paintings by the artist.

Francisco Figueiredo painted three canvases for the church, one of which has disappeared. The existing paintings depict a pilgrimage and beheading of John the Baptist.

Largo do São João Batista
The churchyard of the Church of Saint John the Baptist grew beyond the church into a public square. It was greatly reduced over time, and only a small area of the square remains to the east side of the church structure. A small obelisk monument dedicated to Antonio Landi was placed in the square. The square was renamed in honor of the Republic of Lebanon, and is now known as Praça República do Líbano.

Protected status
The Church of Saint John the Baptist was listed as a historic structure by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage in 1940. It was included in the Book of Historical Works as Inscription no. 148. The directive is dated January 3, 1941.

Access
The church is open to the public and may be visited.