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The Church and Convent of Mount Carmel (Igreja e Convento do Carmo) is a church and convent located in São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil. It is part of an architectural ensemble built by the Carmelite Order in the upper city of São Cristóvão between the 17th and 18th century. The Carmelite complex consists of a prominent First Order church, a convent to the right, and a Third Order church to the left. The Third Order church, like most in Northeast Brazil, is set back from the First Order church and convent. Many features and contents of the Carmelite complex in São Cristóvão have been lost or removed. The interior of the church has little decoration, and the cloister was defaced. The Carmlite complex is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of São Francisco Square; it was separatedly listed as a historic structure by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) in 1943.

Location
The Carmelite complex occupies the south of the upper city (cidade alta) of São Cristóvão in close proximity to numerous other heritage sites. It is located south of Getúlio Vargas Square and southeast of São Francisco Square, and the complex opens to its own church square, the Praça do Carmo. The Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Amparo dos Homens Pardos is located to the east of the complex on Rua Messias Prado. The Church of Our Lady of Victory is located north of the complex, directly connected by Rua Tobias Barreto.

History


The history of the construction of the Carmelite complex in São Cristóvão is vague. The Carmelites entered Brazil in the 16th century after the Jesuit and Franciscan orders. They were granted land in São Cristóvão in 1618 and built a "modest" convent. The Dutch occupied São Cristóvão from 16XX to 1647, and recorded the existence of the Carmelite convent. The city was destroyed by the end of the Dutch occupation, and the present convent and church were built after their expulsion. Construction on the convent began in 1699.

The church was expanded in 1739 under Friar Antônio de Santa Eufrásia Barbosa. Some authors date completion of the church to 1745; other to 1766, according to a date on the facade.

First Order Church
The Church of Mount Carmel is built on a regular rectangular plan with two stories. The façade is divided into three sections horizontally: a galilee at the base, a choir level above, and a monumental pediment at top. The Church of Mount Carmel, like the convent and adjacent Third Order Church, has a tiled gable roof.

Façade
The ground-level section has a galilee of heavy, monumental stonework. It has five arches, three at front, two on the side, and is divided by heavy cornerstones. The church has three portals within the galilee with curved stone lintels. The center portal is larger, with a carving of a floral motif at the center of the lintel.

Three choir windows on the upper level correspond to the arches below. They are rectangular with straight lintels; each has an elaborate stonework pediment with a floral motif.

Cornice separates the facade from the pediment which is in volutes, flanked by spiers, topped by a cross, with an oculus and ornaments and angels holding a crown, all in stone.

The facade is topped by an elaborate rococo-style pediment. It is separated from the choir level by a cornice. The pediment is of carved stoned stonework, and has volutes, a flaming urn, an oculus in the tympanum at center, ornaments such as angels holding a crown, and a cross at top.

A small bell tower is located to the left of the church, set behind the facade even with the convent. A single window opens to a church bell. The bell, according to an inscription, dates to 1831.

Maria Elisa Carrazzoni connects the design of the façade of the Church and Convent of Mount Carmel in São Cristóvão to the Carmelite Convent and Church of Saint Mary of the Angels (Convento e Igreja de Santa Maria dos Anjos) in nearby Penedo, Alagoas. The Penedo has both a prominent galilee with three arches, choir windows with elaborate moldings, and a monumental rococo-style pediment.

Pulpit with carved cup, tribunes with carved wooden railings, as well as the choir. The church has a beautiful side door with cushioned leaves. The convent, of regular dimensions, has a courtyard with nine arcades in one direction and five in the other, supported by stonework columns. In the uncovered area there is a garden. On the ground floor, four rooms and other dependencies, and on the top, cells for the nuns.**
 * more from Carrazzoni: altars in a more recent style, with some carving work.

Interior
The interior of the church is simple, with a a single nave with lateral tribunes in stone. It is sparsely decorated, with two side altars and two pulpits. The altars have wood carvings with a floral motif. The chancel arch is in stone, and like other Carmelite churches, is topped with a cartouche of the Carmelite coat of arms. The contents of the chancel, once richly decorated, have been removed. The choir has a simple wood banister, and is accessed from the bell tower.

Convent
The Convent of Mount Carmel is a rectangular two-story structure surrounding a cloister. The convent is connected to the church at both its galile at front of cloister at the rear. The cloister is now defaced.

Access
The First Order Church of Mount Carmel is open to the public and may be visited; the convent is closed to the public.