Dom Bosco Sanctuary

Modernist chapel filled with deep blue stained glass

A rectangular concrete chapel in Asa Sul that hides one of the most striking interiors in Brazil. The walls are made of two-metre tall stained glass panels in twelve shades of blue, by Cláudio Naddeo, that flood the nave with a deep underwater light. A 7-metre wooden crucifix by Gotthard Schmid hangs over the altar; the floor is dark wood.

The chapel is dedicated to Don Bosco, the Italian saint who in 1883 dreamed of a great civilisation arising in the South American interior — which Brasília's founders interpreted as a prophecy of their city. Free; arrive in late afternoon for the best light.

things to do religious site
A story
In 1883 the Italian saint Don Bosco had a prophetic dream of a great civilisation arising in the South American interior between the 15th and 20th parallels — Brasília sits exactly within that band, and the city's founders treated the dream as a kind of mystical justification. The chapel built to honour him is now the most unforgettable interior in the city, its walls made entirely of pieces of stained glass in twelve shades of blue, designed by Cláudio Pastro and assembled by Belgian artisans.