[ Jan.2016 ] We did a full sight seeing tour on the last day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well.
This photo above is the inside of the Candelaria Church.
This church’s history goes back to the early 17th century when a boat called Candelaria was nearly sunk in a storm.
During the storm the sailors prayed saying ” if we are survive, we will make a chapel to thank you”.
So they made a small chapel in 1609 and the current big church was built later on the site.
The ceiling and the walls were gorgeous, but my favourite was the bench.
They were carved all over and very quaint.
By the way, this church was the focus of recent history, too.
On the night of the 23rd of July, 1993, 8 boys among as many as 70 who were sleeping rough just next to this church were shot dead.
These young people were all from the poorest families and they were living on charity from this church and committing some crimes.
Apparently, on the day of the 23rd, some of them threw stones to the police cars and that made the police lose their patience.
So that night, the adult men including policemen attacked the sleeping boys.
This incident is recorded as Candelaria Massacre.
There is a sequel to the incident, too.
One of the boys who survived the massacre, later in 2000, created a sensation, hijacking a bus.
I can only imagine how intense to live in the society where the gap between the rich and the poor is so wide…
