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The Church that served as Rio's cathedral for 70 years, N. Sra. do Rosário e São Benedito dos Homens Pretos, was closed off in 2019 due to poor maintenance and fire risk. In January of this year, thanks to donations from the faithful, restoration work began to reopen it to the public.

The history of the Church begins in 1667, when the confraternities of Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Benedict, institutions dedicated to the practice of Catholicism by the Black population, joined together to form the Brotherhood of Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Benedict of the Black Men.

Image description: The image is a photograph of a church located in an urban setting. The church is centered in the photo, with a light-colored, detailed facade. On the left, there is a modern multi-story building, while on the right there are other buildings and trees. In front of the church, people are walking and vehicles are parked. The sky is clear and sunny, providing natural light for the scene.

Until 1684, the Brotherhood occupied the premises of the Church of S. Sebastião, the city's cathedral on Castelo Hill, but, after clashes with the canon, the brothers decided to remove their images from there and build their own church. But this only became possible in the early years of the 18th century, when the devout Francisca Pontes donated to the Brotherhood a plot of land located on Rua da Vala (present-day Uruguaiana). The Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário e São Benedito dos Homens Pretos was finally inaugurated in 1737 and, in the same year, was elevated to cathedral status, bringing together in the same temple members of the former Sé (the Church of Santa Cruz dos Militares) and of the Brotherhood.

Image description: This is an old photograph of a religious procession in front of the Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário e São Benedito. The image is black and white, showing a large crowd of people gathered in a public space. In the central part, there is an altar adorned with many religious symbols, including crosses and banners. On the left and right, there are trees and street lamps. In the background, the church's façade is clearly visible, with windows and a decorated portal.

As a cathedral, it was the first to receive the Portuguese royal family upon its arrival in Rio, but shortly after, Dom João VI ordered the transfer of the See to the Church of N. S. do Carmo, in what is now Praça XV.

Even after losing its status as a cathedral, it was the stage for important events: sessions of the Senate Chamber on the eve of Independence; the safekeeping of the mortal remains of Mestre Valentim; and popular representation gatherings of the "Dia do Fico."

The Brotherhood aimed to act in support of enslaved people: it helped fund manumissions, maintained educational activities, and, from the second half of the 19th century onward, worked alongside the Abolitionist Movement.

In 1967, a fire destroyed a large part of the Church. At the reopening in 1969, after the restoration work, the institution inaugurated the Museu do Negro – in the Church's annex – dedicated to preserving Afro-Brazilian history and culture.