The best preserved and most moving of the Brazilian missions, this elegant church, designed by an Italian architect who was also a Jesuit friar, earned Unesco World Heritage status in 1984. It is surrounded by mystical ruins of the Jesuit settlement, which evokes ‘paradise lost’.
The archaeological site also includes the excellent little Museu das Missões . Designed by Lúcio Costa, of Brasília fame, the museum contains an impressive collection of religious artifacts that were rescued from the ruins. A spectacular, if campy, sound-and-light show illustrates the history of the missions, coming soon in English and Spanish as well.
