THE SANTUARIO DOM BOSCO

The Santuario Dom Bosco (Sanctuary of Dom Bosco) in Brasilia honors the Italian saint who dreamed of a utopian city in 1883. Brasilia, the modern capital city of Brazil, is inspired by this dream. The shrine is especially notable for its impressive interior, bathed in heavenly blue light from walls of windows.

History of Santuario Dom Bosco

In 1883, an Italian saint named Dom Bosco had a dream of a utopian city of the future. He described it as a capital city that would rule justly and provide for all the needs of a great nation. Significantly, the saint declared that this city would be located in the New World, between the 15th and 20th parallels.

Dom Bosco's vision was a major inspiration for the foundation of Brasilia, Brazil's modern capital city. In honor of the saint and his aspirational dream, the Sanctuary of Dom Bosco was built right on the 15th parallel in Brazilia.

What to See at Santuario Dom Bosco

From the outside, the Santuario Dom Bosco is a fairly unremarkable concrete box, although the tall lancet window openings might invite a second glance. But the interior of the shrine is a wondrous space, filled with heavenly blue light filtering through windows that cover virtually the entire walls - 2200 sq m in total.

The windows of the Dom Bosco Shrine are made of small squares of stained glass in 12 different shades of blue with dots of white, designed by Claudio Naves and manufactured by Belgian artist Hubert Van Doorne in São Paulo. Some of the windows swivel open for ventilation.

At night, a different spectacle of light dominates the interior: a huge golden chandelier made of 7,400 pieces of Murano glass by architect Alvimar Moreira.