Salvador - Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia

The church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia, in the square of that name to the south-west of the Elevador Lacerda, was built between 1739 and 1765 in Portuguese pedra de lioz, a marble-like stone which was brought from Portugal as ballast in the sailing ships which transported the produce of the colony back to the mother country. The towers incorporated diagonally in the façade and the beveled corners in the interior show the influence of Baroque architecture. The ceiling painting in the nave (by José Joaquim da Rocha, 1773) is a masterpiece of trompe-l'oeil. In the church is the Museu de Arte Sacra Monsenhor Aquino Barbosa.