Nossa Senhora do Carmo is one of Diamantina's finest baroque churches, built in the mid-18th century with funding from the wealthy diamond contractors who ran this corner of colonial Brazil. The facade is simpler than some of the Ouro Preto churches, but the interior gold-leafed altarpiece is among the best preserved in the region.
The church is best known for the story about Chica da Silva and the bell tower, which has embedded itself deeply in popular memory even if historians dispute the details. The rear-positioned tower is real and unusual — whatever the actual reason for it, it makes the church's silhouette distinctive from every approach. Open most mornings; a small admission may be charged.