City Hall announces partnership for the restoration of stained glass windows at Candelária Church.

Partnership with the Brotherhood of Candelária and support from the German Consulate launches a project that brings together restoration, art and history. Photo: Press Release/SMDU

The City Hall of Rio de Janeiro, through the Rio Heritage of Humanity Institute (IRPH), announces a strategic partnership with the Brotherhood of the Blessed Sacrament of Candelária, supported by the Consulate General of Germany, for the restoration of the stained glass windows of the historic Candelária Church. The project, entitled “Stained Glass Windows of the Candelária Church: Restoration of a Heritage at Risk,” will receive R$ 1,6 million (approximately €273) from the German Gerda Henkel Foundation, through an international program. Funding Initiative PatrimoniesThe official launch on Tuesday (March 17th) at 9:30 am marked the beginning of a 12-month schedule that combines the preservation of historical and artistic heritage with professional training, with special attention to environmental education.

The project continues a professional training program initiated six years ago, when the same German foundation invested R$ 189 (30 euros at the time) in resources for the emergency safeguarding of one of the stained-glass windows of the Municipal Theater, in the project “Stained Glass No. 13 – Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro”. The initiative trained professionals in the execution of stained-glass conservation and restoration projects through an exchange of professionals from both countries.

The Brotherhood's Provider, Antônio Soares da Silva, opened the event by speaking about the importance of preservation:

– We have promoted several restoration projects that led us to discover original paintings inside the church. This ongoing effort is gaining a new chapter with the restoration of the stained glass windows.

Protection installation 

The stained-glass windows of the Candelária Church were artistically designed by João Zeferino da Costa and Henrique Bernardelli and executed in 1898 by the FX Zettler company of Munich, Germany. The three stained-glass windows in the choir are part of the church's monumental decoration, forming part of the work. Invocation of Saint Cecilia, of high artistic, historical and symbolic value.

– Over the last few decades, these stained-glass windows have suffered successive episodes of vandalism, as well as damage caused by environmental, climatic, and biological factors, many of them resulting from the intense vehicle traffic around the temple. This set of factors persisted for many years without effective conservation action resolving the problem, placing this important heritage in a situation of permanent risk – explains the Archaeology Manager of IRPH, Helder Magalhães Viana. 

The project includes the installation of protective glazing with an isothermal ventilation system and metal screens, as part of a preventative strategy based on solutions compatible with historical heritage and widely adopted in Europe. Restoration interventions include specialized cleaning, consolidation of weakened paintwork, crack treatment, repair of gaps in the glass, and restoration of the lead mesh. 

Alongside the restoration work, the year-long schedule includes training for professionals working in cultural heritage conservation, such as managers and inspectors, contributing to the technical strengthening of the sector. It also includes the promotion of an international seminar in August, a public exhibition, and the publication of a book documenting the entire restoration process and the technical exchange activities between Brazil and Germany. In April, students from the Educandário Gonçalves de Araújo (maintained by the Irmandade da Candelária) will participate in a Heritage Education workshop where they will learn how to produce a stained-glass window.

About the Candelária Church

Designated a national historical and artistic heritage site by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan) in 1938, the Church of Our Lady of Candelaria, in the city center, was built on the site of a smaller 17th-century chapel known as the Várzea Church. Construction of the current Baroque-style temple began in 1775, based on a design by the Portuguese military engineer Francisco João do Roscio, and lasted 123 years, being inaugurated on July 10, 1898. The stained-glass windows that form part of the church's monumental decoration were designed by João Zeferino da Costa and executed in 1898 by the Royal Establishment of Artistic Glazing of FX Zettler, in Munich, Germany, and installed the following year, in 1899.

The Brotherhood of the Blessed Sacrament of Candelária, created around 1699, promotes religious ceremonies, the maintenance and conservation of the Church, preserving and disseminating the artistic and religious complex. 

About the Gerda Henkel Foundation

The Gerda Henkel Foundation (Stiftung Gerda Henkel) is a German philanthropic institution established in 1976 by Lisa Maskell in memory of her mother, Gerda Henkel, and headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. It funds research and projects worldwide in archaeology, art history, history, and heritage preservation. The foundation supports not only the physical restoration of monuments and works of art—such as historic stained glass windows in Rio de Janeiro—but also scientific documentation and the training of young specialists, ensuring the transfer of technical knowledge and the preservation of global historical memory.