Sacredsoundsandthebustleofthestreets

Procession Bells - Excerpt from the documentary Universo das Torres

Anyone who crosses Pio X square, in downtown Rio, climbs the three steps leading up to the church and passes through the threshold of the central door adorned with the image of the Virgin Maria surrounded by cherubs, soon realizes that all the bustle of Presidente Vargas avenue is suddenly overshadowed by a serene atmosphere. Inside the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Candelária, the austere silence is only broken by the resonance of a group of voices singing hymns at the foot of the distant altar.

Image description: This is a photograph of the interior of a highly ornate church. From left to right, we see walls covered with golden details and decorative frames. As we move toward the center, red panels stand out against the light background. In the background, there is a central structure with more golden details and an opening that appears to be the altar. The lighting is soft, illuminating the decorative elements with a warm glow.

The sound echoes across the concave ceiling adorned with panels by Zeferino da Costa, which tell the history of the church itself from the very beginning of its construction, back in the 17th century. Outside, the four bells – which once also served to alert the population to threats of invasion in Guanabara Bay – announce the next mass. There are different rings for each occasion: wedding, baptism, funeral ceremony, and so on.

Image description: This is a photograph of a city with a large central building, possibly a church or cathedral, surrounded by several other buildings. On the left side, we see tall buildings with varied façades, including one with rectangular windows and another with a blue façade. In the center, there is a prominent architectural structure with domes and towers, possibly a church, with details in white and gold. On the right, we find lower, more modern buildings. In the background, we see a range of mountains covered in vegetation under a blue sky with a few clouds.

The scene repeats itself in other chapels. Such as in the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo da Antiga Sé, where the oldest bell in Rio de Janeiro is found, cast by a Portuguese man in 1810 and sent as a gift to D. João VI. “The bell is the church's samba school drum section, that's where all the emotion of what's being done comes from”, says Manoel dos Santos, historian and bell ringer, the only person responsible for the conservation and routine maintenance of all the bells spread out across the city's 240 churches. “Ringing a bell is like percussion. People end up not noticing the different sounds”.

Photo: Hilton R. Filho

Image description: This is a photograph of a religious ceremony at an altar adorned with gold and sculptural details. On the left side, we see a statue of a historical or mythological figure. In the center, a priest stands behind the altar, wearing a yellow vestment. In front of him, two individuals are kneeling, also dressed in white liturgical garments. In the background, more people are taking part in the ceremony, including a priest in black vestments. The altar's decoration is elaborate, with gold elements and intricate ornamental details.

But other types of noise also fill the interior of churches. At the Mosteiro de São Bento, for example, the monks' Gregorian chant completes the ritual of Sunday mass. As for those who pass by Rua da Carioca, near Praça Tiradentes, they might be able to hear the sound of the pipe organ being played in the gallery of the Catedral Presbiteriana do Rio – the first of its kind in Brazil –, which, accompanied by the choir's voices, serves to mark the prelude and postlude of the morning services, ever since its founding in 1862. Invitations to reflection and devotion, the solemn tone that fills some of Rio de Janeiro's temples doesn't seem to clash with the hubbub coming from the streets. Integrated into the diversity of noises produced every day by the city, the sacred sound that flows through these places already seems woven into the everyday life of Rio, with its profane clamor.