STONE FURNITURE IN THE SACRISTY:

The (in)visibility of the washbasin of the church of São Francisco de Paula – Rio de Janeiro, 20th century

Abstract

The article aims to point out the historical importance of national stone liturgical furniture in order to
restore its visibility in the academic and community spheres. For this purpose, the lavatory of the sacristy
of the Church of São Francisco de Paula, located in the historic centre of the city of Rio de Janeiro, was
chosen – a piece made of marble and of high artistic expression, but that is a state of near “invisibility”
toward Rio de Janeiro and Brazil audiences. In order to reverse this situation, the work sought to highlight
the morphological and ornamental aspects of this type of sacred utensil – lavatory – and the raw material
that composes it – stone –, both undeniably “forgotten”, either by the more specialized literature or by
the society that change them in heritage.