Students: Daniele Nicolini, Andrea, and Mamede
The present work was carried out through research conducted on public-domain websites and archives made available by the Diocese of Rio de Janeiro and by the parish itself, as well as through interviews with longtime residents of the neighborhood surrounding the Church, conducted using the Google Docs application, aiming, in this way, to uncover little-known curiosities that may have been passed down to our time through local traditions.
The Church of Nossa Senhora da Apresentação is the second oldest in the city of Rio de Janeiro, coming only after the Church of São Sebastião, which was built and demolished on the now-extinct Morro do Castelo. It is, therefore, the oldest religious building still standing in Rio, bearing witness to more than four centuries of history. Directly linked to the founding of the Irajá neighborhood, in the city's Zona Norte, the Church originated from the Baroque Chapel of Irajá, erected on November 21, 1613 by the Jesuit priest Gaspar da Costa. Construction began in 1596 and received strong financial support from the community. Then, on December 30, 1644, the Chapel was elevated to the status of the parish of Nossa Senhora da Apresentação, becoming the neighborhood's mother church, in accordance with the royal charter issued by Dom João IV on February 10, 1647. Through this charter, the residents who had previously been under the jurisdiction of the parish of Candelária were transferred to the parish of Nossa Senhora da Apresentação. There is controversy regarding the chapel's elevation to mother church status, a fact commonly attributed to the prelate Antônio de Marins Loureiro. A bill is currently before the City Council proposing to attribute the Church's elevation to Gaspar's son. At the time, the Parish's geographic extent was very large, covering the entire suburban zone, stretching from Pedra Branca, in the Bangu mountain range, to Guaratiba, Campo Grande, Vasconcelos, Santíssimo, Camará, Bangu, and Realengo, as well as the regions of Mendanha and Guandu do Sena.
In 1946, the Church demanded a renovation, and the vicar at the time, Father Juan Luiz Garrido, secured funds and carried out a major renovation of the temple, when two windows were opened, one on each side, to improve the lighting and ventilation of the place.
The parish and the imperial family
One of the many interesting stories about the Church of Nossa Senhora da Apresentação recounts that D. Pedro II, when heading to the Imperial Palace of Petrópolis, would have his procession pass by the Church of Nossa Senhora da Apresentação for his prayers. This story is reported in various sources, and is even told through the ages by longtime residents of the Irajá neighborhood, which makes us reflect on the need for further study on it and seriously consider the possibility of retracing the entire route of the imperial family from the São Cristóvão neighborhood to the fields of the mountain city. Some of them tell stories heard from their ancestors over time about the crowds gathering to see the imperial retinue, and that many residents descend from enslaved people who served the court directly. There is, without a doubt, an enormous historical treasure yet to be explored involving the parish, which cannot be excluded from the history of the Irajá neighborhood itself, with its tales, customs, its indigenous influence, and its socioeconomic divide at the time.
The Empress, Teresa Cristina, wife of Pedro II, donated a three-piece chest of drawers to the Church to store vestments, as well as three benches that belonged to the Royal Chapel. The current bells were built from the pieces of the old one, inaugurated by parish priest Jan Kaleta on November 8, 1989, with the presence of the cardinal and archbishop at the time, Dom Eugênio Sales.
One of its oldest pieces is the main door, dating from the 17th century, almost four meters tall and two meters wide. In the choir windows, where the date 1613 is engraved, there are three stained-glass windows, among them one of the Holy Family and another of Saint Anne. Higher up, another stained-glass window, the Oculus with Cross, contains an icon of the Greek Cross with rays of light. Inside the church, in the baptistery, there is a marble baptismal font dating from the 18th century. In its atrium, beneath the choir, there are three paintings by Sebastião Andrade from the year 1965: one of the Holy Family in their daily life, another of Saint Joseph teaching the trade to Jesus, and one of Our Lady of Desterro. The ceiling of the choir and the nave contains 20th-century paintings of biblical passages such as that of the Prophet Daniel, the Prophet Ezekiel, the Prophet Jeremiah, and the saints Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and Saint Cecilia. The church still preserves relics such as the main altar, the tabernacle, and the baptismal font, as well as the image of Our Lady of the Presentation, from the 19th century, made of wood and of probable Portuguese origin. The church still preserves relics such as the main altar, the tabernacle, and the baptismal font, as well as the image of Our Lady of the Presentation, from the 19th century, made of wood and of probable Portuguese origin. The parish is responsible for a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Graces, located in the Vila São Jorge community, better known as Para Pedro, in the Colégio neighborhood.
Curiosity
Under the altar lie the remains of some benefactors, such as Honório Gurgel, a politician and landowner. To the left of the main altar, the office holds antique furniture and age-old baptism and marriage records. In the back, on a carved altar, among other images, there is one of Our Lady of Sorrows, made of wood with delicate finishes, dating back more than 200 years.
It was declared a heritage site by a decree from the then mayor of the city of Rio de Janeiro, César Maia, on January 28, 1994. And, in 2025, the parish became one of the Jubilee churches of the Jubilee of Hope.
