Ouro Preto
Hill town of Brazil's gold age, a World Heritage Site of Baroque churches and Aleijadinho sculpture, near colonial Mariana, gold mines and the Congonhas sanctuary.
Ouro Preto lies in the Espinhaço Mountains of Minas Gerais in southeast Brazil, at about 1,150 m. It grew rapidly after gold was discovered in the 18th century; once called Vila Rica ("Rich Town"), it was the capital of Minas during the gold rush and the scene of the 1789 Inconfidência Mineira conspiracy. In 1980 it became one of Brazil's first World Heritage Sites. The old town is built on steep hills, with cobbled slopes linking more than a dozen Baroque churches: around Tiradentes Square are the Museu da Inconfidência and the Museum of Mineralogy; to the east are the Church of São Francisco de Assis and the Antônio Dias district; to the west, the Basilica of Nossa Senhora do Pilar and the Rosário church. Aleijadinho's carvings and Ataíde's ceiling paintings are the highlights. Nearby you can visit the quieter colonial town of Mariana and the Mina da Passagem gold mine 12 km away, Itacolomi State Park and the village of Lavras Novas to the south, and the World Heritage Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos in Congonhas, about 75 km away. Getting there: about 2 hours by road from Belo Horizonte's airport or bus station. April–September is the cool dry season, with winter nights dropping below 10°C; Carnival in February and the Holy Week processions at Easter are the liveliest times, so book accommodation ahead. The old town's slopes are steep and slippery, so wear shoes with good grip; most churches close on Mondays. Allow 2–3 days.
Top sights
- Praça Tiradentes – The central square of Ouro Preto, flanked by the former Governor's Palace and the old Town Hall, with a statue of independence hero Tiraden…
- Church of Saint Francis of Assisi – A masterpiece of Brazilian colonial Baroque, with its façade designed and sculpted by Aleijadinho and its ceiling painted by Manuel da Cost…
- Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Pilar – The main church, said to contain about 400 kilograms of gold in its interior decoration. Its gleaming carvings reflect the wealth of the go…
- Museu da Inconfidência – A national museum housed in the former Town Hall and jail, which tells the story of the 1789 Minas Conspiracy and holds the remains of its…
- Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Antônio Dias – The burial place of Aleijadinho, with the Aleijadinho Museum inside the church displaying his sculptures and life story.
- Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – A Rococo church right beside the square, with a facade designed by Aleijadinho's father and Aleijadinho himself, and Portuguese blue-and-wh…
- Church of Santa Efigênia – A church built by a Black brotherhood on the hilltop at the eastern end of the old town, said to have been funded by 'King Chico,' a freed…
- Church of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Black People – A rare baroque church with an elliptical plan, built by a brotherhood of enslaved Black people, whose curved facade stands out in the old t…
- Museum of Science and Technology of the School of Mines – Housed in the former Governor's Palace on the main square, known for Brazil's most important collection of minerals and gemstones, often ca…
- Casa dos Contos – An 18th-century tax collector's mansion later used as a mint and prison, now a museum of currency and fiscal history, including a slave dun…
- Teatro Municipal de Ouro Preto (Casa da Ópera) – Opened in 1770 and considered one of the oldest theaters still in use in the Americas, with well-preserved wooden boxes.
- Museu do Oratório – A collection of hundreds of household oratories from the 18th to 20th centuries, ranging from small traveling shrines to 'bread-loaf' orato…
- Soapstone Craft Fair (Largo de Coimbra) – An open-air market in front of the Church of São Francisco selling soapstone carvings, cookware, and semi-precious stones, good for picking…
- Mina do Chico Rei – A handcrafted 18th-century gold mine in the Antônio Dias district of the old town, with low, narrow tunnels that give a sense of what miner…
- Capela do Padre Faria – One of the oldest churches in Ouro Preto, with a plain exterior that hides a gilded altar, and a three-bar stone cross in front.
- Itacolomi State Park – A mountain park south of Ouro Preto where you can hike to the 1,772-meter Itacolomi Peak, with old tea plantations and lakes inside.
- Cachoeira das Andorinhas – A waterfall and nature reserve about 5 km north of the old town, the source of the Beliás River, good for hiking, swimming, and city views.
- Lavras Novas – A village of descendants of enslaved people, founded in the 18th century among mountains, surrounded by stone-paved streets, small chapels…
- Mina da Passagem – Said to be one of the largest gold mines open to visitors in the world, where you ride a mine car down to 120 meters underground and see an…
- Praça Minas Gerais, Mariana – Mariana's most classic square, enclosed by two Baroque churches, an old city hall that doubled as a prison, and stone pillories, preserving…
- Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, Mariana – The earliest cathedral in Minas Gerais, with gilded interiors, and a 1701 German-made Arp Schnitger organ that is still played regularly.
- Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, Congonhas – A World Heritage site with twelve soapstone prophet statues carved by Aleijadinho in his later years and a group of 66 wooden Stations of t…
Where to eat
- Bené da Flauta – A restaurant in an old house beside the Church of São Francisco de Assis, serving revamped Minas dishes with church vie…
- O Passo Pizza & Jazz – A wood-fired pizza and Italian restaurant in an 18th-century house, with a balcony facing Casa dos Contos and live jazz…
- Contos de Réis – A traditional Minas restaurant in an 18th-century house, with a varied lunch buffet and a black bean stew that is the m…
- Chafariz – A family restaurant open for more than 60 years, filled with antiques; okra chicken and tropeiro beans are the classics.
- Casa do Ouvidor – A Minas restaurant opened in 1972 on the upper floor of a colonial house on Rua Direita, known for its okra chicken.
Itineraries
- Minas Gold Towns & Inhotim Loop – A loop from Belo Horizonte covering Inhotim, Ouro Preto, and Tiradentes.