Ruins of São Miguel das Missões
Ruins of a Jesuit mission and Guaraní reduction in southern Brazil.
The Ruins of São Miguel das Missões, also known as São Miguel Arcanjo and by its former Spanish name Misión de San Miguel Arcángel, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the municipality of São Miguel das Missões, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. The site is the remains of a Jesuit mission established in 1687, part of a vast evangelisation programme by the Jesuits, and was the most notable of the Seven Towns of the Missions, which became an important part of the history of Rio Grande do Sul and Brazil.
Quick Facts
- Location
- São Miguel das Missões, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Part Of
- Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis: San Ignacio Mini, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa Maria Mayor (Argentina), Ruins of Sao Miguel das Missoes (Brazil)
- Criteria
- (iv)(iv)
- Year
- 1983
- Extension
- 1984
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The São Miguel mission was one of the outcomes of the Christian programme of evangelisation, established when the territory was under Spanish rule. It was part of the Guaraní Reductions, a group of missions where Jesuits brought together native peoples, teaching Catholic doctrine and European customs. The settlement was built according to an advanced organisational plan, and a flourishing civilisation arose there, mixing European and indigenous elements with a strong European and Christian orientation. Its church was constructed between 1735 and 1750, marking the mission's apogee.
Reader's Guide
The Ruins of São Miguel das Missões are significant as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major tourist attraction, with its church becoming one of the best-known images in Rio Grande do Sul. The site was listed by IPHAN in 1938 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, along with four other Jesuit ruins in Argentina. In 2015, it was granted Brazilian Cultural Heritage status for its associations with Guaraní history and spirituality. The ruins are the main centre of the city where it is located, and indigenous Guaraní communities hold the site as sacred and part of their collective memory and identity. The restoration of the structures began in 1925, and the site has undergone several restoration interventions and projects to promote its material and immaterial legacy.
Did You Know?
- The mission was one of the centres of the Guaraní War and was burned down and depopulated in 1756.
- The site was restored and partially repopulated after the Jesuits were expelled, but fell into complete abandonment by the early 19th century.
- The mission operated an estância that became one of the largest Jesuit cattle breeding centres in the Platine region.
More in World Heritage Sites in Brazil 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced