THE EVANGELIZATION OF AMERICA IN THE CATHEDRAL OF SÃO MIGUEL ARCANJO

Abstract

This article aims to present the mural painting of the history of the Evangelization of America, by Cláudio Pastro (1948-2016), which is in the Cathedral of São Miguel Arcanjo, in the city of São Paulo. Considered the greatest sacred artist in contemporary Brazil, he created the evangelization of America on the walls of the cathedral from the perspective of the events involving the Mother of God, narrating the appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the fishing of the image of Aparecida, the presence of the image of Nsa. Sra. da Penha, as well as the iconography of the Black Virgin of Altöttingen. We will present the various stories he paints on the wall above the doors that give access to the cathedral, from the inside, following the paths proposed by the work itself. We will notice that the artist innovates when presenting stories of Marian devotion above the main doors of the cathedral and we will seek to understand the purpose of this option. Finally, we will make a brief iconographic analysis of the panel, highlighting the importance of the year in which the work was produced, 1992, when the 500th anniversary of the arrival of the Spaniards in Central America was celebrated.