Capela dos Aflitos, Landmark of S�o Paulo's Black History, Reopens After Two Years of Restoration

Capela dos Aflitos, built in 1779 in Liberdade, downtown São Paulo, reopened on Saturday (27) after two years of restoration. The inculturated mass brought together bahianas, congadeiros, members of the Afro Pastoral and Indigenous leaders in a celebration marked by Afro chants and percussion instruments.

The chapel was built over the former Aflitos Cemetery, which was used for the burial of enslaved people, Indigenous people, the poor and those sentenced to death. It is one of the city’s oldest temples and the only visible remnant of this historic territory.

The restoration recovered a structure damaged by time and construction work on neighboring buildings, stabilizing cracks and repairing the roof. The main altar, side altarpieces and part of the integrated artworks remain under restoration.

During archaeological excavations on the adjacent site, where the Aflitos Memorial will be built, remains of Black and Indigenous people buried with elements of Catholicism and African-based religions were found. For Luizão Cruz, financial director of Unamca, the site’s narrative needs to be corrected: "Important people from São Paulo’s Black community of the 18th and 19th centuries were also buried here."

São Paulo’s Culture Secretary Totó Parente described the reopening as historical reparation: "This is almost an apology from the Brazilian state, from the city of São Paulo, to Black and Indigenous people."

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